Nasal Spray
by LoveeDucky
Summary: Rei Hino was just a girl with a brand new job and a handsome though jerky new boss. Will she survive all that Mother Nature throws her? Grab yourself a bottle of nasal spray and come read! EPILOGUE UP.
1. Maybe I'm Just Hallucinating?

Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Rating: PG (some language...just minor stuff, though)  
  
Author's Note: My twist at a slightly comedic, WAFFy type of story starring Rei Hino.  
  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Sailor Moon & Friends. But, really- isn't this now basic knowledge?  
  
~ ~ ~ Chapter 1: Maybe I'm Just Hallucinating?  
  
We've all had moments like mine, I'm sure. The kind where you just want to crawl under your sheets and hope that you weren't witnessed by the entire population of the world. And then reality strikes you and you're stuck thinking, 'Oh my gosh! I have to go back tomorrow!'  
  
I, myself, have enjoyed a life containing only a few embarrassing scenarios. Being human, however, deems me susceptible to annoying antics of the worst kind. Mother Nature must really loathe me.  
  
If only there was such a thing as a "rewind" button on the remote of life, as silly as it sounds. Then I wouldn't have to face the humiliation and mocking that had laced his voice.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
I had just been hired as the secretary for a top businessman at the Berry & Berry law firm near my condominium. In my opinion, secretarial work is borderline mediocre for the type of jobs that I had been accustomed to. Unfortunately, I had no other choice but to take the job. It takes an honest day's work to keep living, and all because of that wonderful element that the world has come to know as one simple word: money.  
  
My new boss, with his rogue-like appearance and polished style, had been furiously gesturing to me from the behind the glass pane embedded in his office door. He was folding his hand from a first into a relaxed position repeatedly around his nose. It only took a moment for the reason to come into my head. It was then that I had discovered my first mission.  
  
I ran out of that office building like an obsessed fan after an N'Sync member. Where was that blasted drugstore anyway? It couldn't be more than three blocks away...  
  
I continued my pace through the busy downtown streets, brushing past people with nothing but the clickity-clack of my heels on the cement to acknowledge their existence. Aha! The blue banner of my prospected site reflected onto my violet irises. My memory never ceased to fail me!  
  
Only seconds after I had pushed through the heavy doors, I was perusing the aisles for the item I was looking for. Somewhere in my mind, my conscience was interrogating me for the motivation behind my self-induced marathon. I think it had even accused me of being attracted to the man. 'Don't be ridiculous!' I scolded myself. 'I've heard the rumors! He's just my boss, and I'm his new secretary. There's nothing wrong with that!'  
  
My eyes scanned the products stacked neatly on the medication shelf. I had a purpose for being in this store at this moment. I didn't need my Jimminy Cricket inquiring into anything. Let's see...Tylenol, Advil, Bayer- there it was! My target had been detected.  
  
With a triumphant smile gracing my face, I burst into my boss's office minutes later. No need to ask for permission- that had never been my style. I did everything my own way, regardless of anyone's objections, and everyone had tired of questioning me.  
  
I watched his expression carefully, placing the object in my hand onto the sparkling mahogany wood of his desk. My smile was soon replaced with a curious frown as the impossible occurred before my eyes. As he had not been fully aware of my presence when I had first entered the room, his face had traveled from slightly vapid to total confusion.  
  
"What's this?" he asked me, his cerulean eyes twinkling with interest.  
  
My gaze still locked on his, I scanned his countenance for a hint of teasing. Bosses tended to be of a joking spirit, as I had learned from earlier encounters, and I had attributed his comment to be of this nature. But I found not one quirk. The man was utterly clueless.  
  
And in answer to his apparent question, my mouth somehow formed the words,  
  
"Nasal spray."  
  
The roaring masculinity in his laughter stunned my senses. One of my hands even managed its way to my dubious pout. What on Mars was so funny?  
  
"You misunderstood what I was trying to tell you, miss. I was attempting to get you to go to the main office and pick up some Kleenex. My previous client seemed to snatch my last box."  
  
At that exact second, I couldn't decide what was more appeasing. Slapping the oaf over the head for _assuming_ that I would magically know what he had meant on my first day working for him, or sawing a square around my present standing position and falling twenty stories down.  
  
I decided on neither. A good yell might help the situation, though.  
  
"Don't be embarrassed," his voice cooed as he rose from his leather seat. "I haven't had a good laugh like that in a long while."  
  
"Embarrassed? Me?" I noted to myself to refrain from using childlike sarcasm in the future.  
  
His eyebrows turned up in amusement. I still seemed oblivious that my flushing red cheeks were giving me away.  
  
"What was your name again, miss?"  
  
"Rei Hino. Why do you ask?" What was _I_ asking? To stick my foot in my mouth?  
  
"Because you're my newly-appointed secretary and I'm your curiously forgetful boss."  
  
I let out a loud sigh, my foot tapping with nervousness as my eyes lay on the door. If I could just somehow distract him, I could run out of that door and he'd never call me back on such a trivial matter. It would probably only take a couple of seconds-  
  
"Excuse me, sir," a milky female voice interrupted from behind the door. How had I managed to miss the beautiful blonde standing there? "Mr. Grabofsky is on line 4."  
  
My way out, I guessed. Maybe Mother Nature didn't hate me after all.  
  
"Thank you, Mina," he replied. It figures that the girl would have such a feminine name.  
  
A brief moment of silence passed before I looked at him again. Had he been staring me this entire length of time? Not that there was anything unique about me. I was simply human.  
  
"If you won't be needing me, sir, I'll be returning to my desk," I began, absently taking small steps towards the door.  
  
"Very well, Miss Hino. I'll be sure to keep that...nasal spray, in my desk drawer in case I will be needing it."  
  
Damn his mocking! As if I hadn't basted enough in my own humiliation for the entirety of our meeting! I nodded quickly and made further progress towards the portal to the rest of the world.  
  
"Oh, and Miss Hino," he called to me.  
  
I knew it. The man did not just have the _appearance_ of a rogue, he was one! He'd never let me live down this horrifying experience.  
  
"Yes sir?" I managed to answer politely, gritting my teeth.  
  
"Believe me when I say that I look forward to working with you. Something tells me that I'm going to enjoy having you around."  
  
I could almost see the cocky grin emerge from his perfect features.  
  
"I bet," I murmured under my breath. That jerk!  
  
"I heard that."  
  
Oh yes. This was the start of a beautifully complicated friendship. 


	2. Office Max

Author's Note (9-21-02):  
  
Tis' the season of the cold- as so I've realized. I hate being sick, and I hate missing school! Actually, I don't like school too much either, but that's besides the point.  
  
On a lighter note- yea! I got reviews! I so love you guys for reading the first chapter to Nasal Spray (which, btw, is loosely based on an incident that happened to me), although I've neglected to post the (is it the third chapter?) to Triangle. I'm getting around to that! I promise you!  
  
The first chapter, as usual for all my first chapters, was revised a little bit. I changed Rei's last name back to the original "Hino" because I couldn't really see her as a "Miss Horton". Oh, and I've got a little question for you guys.  
  
Does anybody know, like the sentence where I used "Miss Horton" above, if I used the period correctly? I'm not taking English this trimester and that was always something the teachers forgot to explain to me and I always forgot to ask. Does it go on the outside or the inside of the quotation marks if not used in dialogue? Ugh.well, maybe I should finally get on to the next chapter. Enjoy.  
  
Btw, I changed the voice of the story. It's no longer a one-person POV, it's the author's. I haven't developed my skill to where I'm able to voice one person's POV easily, and I'd like to delve a little into the main guy's motives as well.  
  
-Lovee Ducky (who else?)  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~Chapter 2: Office Max  
  
According to most people's standards, my day at the office didn't go as well as most. Of course, most people don't make a mad dash for the nearest drugstore to pick up a bottle of nasal spray and then return to a hysterical boss. Nope, I do declare: I think I made a horrible fool of myself.  
  
The real horror of it all was the fact that my second day of work was almost worse than the first, and all because of one man's simple egotistical nature.  
  
* * *  
  
"Jaden Parker's so sexy!"  
  
"I wish my boyfriend had a body like his!"  
  
"Oh yeah! By the way, did you see his office the other day? He's got a new secretary!"  
  
"It's about time! I thought that _incident_ would never be forgotten."  
  
Such was the typical lounge room chatter of the day. Every one of the firm's intelligent staff entered this room at least once a day, some to mainly gossip, others to chow down and relax. This was the second visit of Rei's since she had entered the building five minutes ago.  
  
"If only they'd just shut up about my boss already!" she muttered through gritted teeth.  
  
Her second day on the job and she couldn't help but seethe with anger. There was work to be done, people to call, places to see! Everything else in the world had more of a purpose than some typical rumors, no matter how juicy they were.  
  
"Since when has Jaden actually hired any girls? He's been a lone ranger since God knows when!"  
  
"Cut it out, ladies. I think all matters concerning Mr. Parker are better left alone."  
  
Rei turned her attention to the one female who actually spoke some sense. It was a blonde girl, and as Rei recognized immediately, it was the same one who had entered her boss's office the other day. The blonde pushed past Rei to the coffee pot, pulled a slender Styrofoam cup from the stack of 20, and poured herself a cup of jo'.  
  
Obviously upset over the blonde girl's chiding, and Rei suddenly remembered her name to be Mina, the dimwitted women who had crowded the lounge before filtered out. Rei decided to attack the muffin bin before they returned.  
  
"It's funny how some people have nothing better to do than gossip," Mina addressed the raven-haired woman, turning to lean her back against the edge of the counter.  
  
"Yeah," Rei responded.  
  
She scowled at the poor selection of food they had available in the basket. Bran muffin, another bran muffin, bran muffin- was she going to work with a bunch of fiber fanatics? Bran muffin- her hand moved over the basket as an aid to her eyes, which were scanning the sort.  
  
"Why do they always talk about him? I think I've heard twenty, maybe even thirty stories on this incident."  
  
Mina stifled a laugh at her new acquaintance. 'So this is the wondrous nasal spray lobbyist," she thought with amusement. Her demeanor changed subtly, which Rei was unable to observe because of her great muffin search, and her features became softer.  
  
"It's because Jaden Parker has always been someone unattainable, almost like a movie hunk in this small firm. And every little thing that happens in his life they grab onto and distort. Typical valid girls, they are."  
  
'Valid girls?' Rei questioned as she popped a wad of chocolate chip and muffin into her mouth. The savory taste of the sweet chocolate morsel made her thankful for her patience. 'Mmm. What delectable goodness.'  
  
"They even tried to say that there was something between us two, just because he hired me as his assistant."  
  
Rei's gaze looked Mina over quickly. She resembled a beautiful movie star who could easily be pinned with the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man they both worked for. Mr. Parker and his assistant could pass for fashionable, good-looking, aristocratic twins. Or as glamorous bedfellows.  
  
"It's easy to picture you guys as a couple, I guess."  
  
Mina's friendly smile drastically transformed into a feigned shock. Startled, Rei raised her eyebrow in protest. She hadn't said anything offensive, had she?  
  
"Me and my cousin? I beg to differ. We're not from the South or anything, I have you know."  
  
A slight smirk formed on Rei's lips, and Mina's bright grin acknowledged her friend's horridly predictable blunder.  
  
"My mistake. But I just don't understand it. Why all the fuss about him and girls?"  
  
Rei somehow already knew the answer to her question. Rumors were coldhearted and absurd, but they all sprout from some truth somewhere. And although she predicted that Mina wouldn't be so quick to confide someone else's situation in her, she gave it a go.  
  
"That's something that I'm not allowed to tell you, Rei. It is Rei, isn't it?"  
  
She nodded absentmindedly in agreement, other thoughts tugging at her peaked curiousity. What was it that Jaden Parker, mysterious and popular Jaden Parker, was hiding?  
  
"We should be getting back. Break is over," Mina said.  
  
Her bright smile sprout into a serious, almost devilish expression. Rei smirked, picking up her purse and jacket from one of the sofas across the room, and returned to her blonde friend's side.  
  
"By the way, Rei," Mina began, opening the door swiftly. "When can you pick me up some nasal spray?"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Two distinct giggles could be heard all the way across the hall as the man approached the lounge room. 'I hope they don't make any more comments over Rei,' he thought to himself.  
  
How many times did he have to tell people that it was none of their business who he hired? Everyone always seemed to bring back the memories that he thought had vacated his mind only a year before.  
  
"Like it really matters," he muttered.  
  
He gazed down as he walked, counting his paces distractedly as his ears picked up bits of the conversation ahead of him.  
  
"Am I never going to live that down? So I made one mistake! I'm sure anyone else would have-"  
  
"Misinterpreted someone gesturing for tissues to be someone frantic for nasal spray?"  
  
His head lifted and his attention focused on the view in front of him. Mina had just exited the lounge room- with Rei Hino in her company. They seemed to not notice, for they were wrapped up in the comical debate, and so he stole a longer glance at his new secretary.  
  
He had known, just from speaking with her briefly over the phone for five minutes, that she was who he wanted for his secretary. How did she seem to capture him so quickly? And upon meeting her, he had been entranced by the blazes of violet fire that danced around in her eyes.  
  
He wasn't a total idiot. He knew that she didn't like him. But part of her had been aiming to please, as revealed in her cold medicine shopping spree from the other day.  
  
And what- was she going to refuse the attention of B & B's hottest hunk?  
  
"Jaden!" Mina squeaked, grabbing him out of his thoughts.  
  
"Hey Mina. Miss Hino," he addressed Rei politely.  
  
"Mr. Parker."  
  
Her tone seemed to bleed dislike. This man had been nothing but arrogant and cocky to her before, and he had the nerve to be so formal now?  
  
"Please, call me Jaden. We're practically the same age, anyway."  
  
"I'll call you Jaden when you learn to stop broadcasting my mishaps. Or have you already told everyone about this morning?"  
  
'Ouch,' he winced, a little hurt over her poor attitude. He had almost forgotten. Before she had entered through the door of the firm building early in the morning, she had dropped her car keys on the ground. He had guessed that she might have picked them up the polite way, by lowering herself to the ground, if she hadn't been in a hurry.  
  
Instead, she had bent down, a perfect target for anyone to ram and knock down. Jaden had just been sauntering towards the building, gazing up at the towering height it possessed, when he had bumped her from behind.  
  
"What the-" she had squealed hastily as she lost her balance and fell to the hard cement.  
  
Unable to control his laughter, he had roared his response to the accident with loud chuckles and laughter lines. She, unamused, had remained on the ground, one red high heel lying awkwardly beside her right knee. Her waist-length raven hair had flown over her head and had settled in messy strands in front of her face.  
  
"You- Mr. Parker, are a curse!" she had muttered harshly.  
  
Now, Jaden had realized, would not be the best time to laugh at the recap.  
  
"How did you ever manage to get up without my help?"  
  
"I can rely on myself, Mr. Parker. Although it's hard with people like you roaming around, not paying attention to what's in front of them."  
  
Mina noticed that tension that was brewing between her cousin and her friend, although she pondered the exact specimen of tension that flowed in this particular hallway. Maybe a little icebreaker would do the trick?  
  
"You know, Jaden, I was just on my way to ask you for something from your car. Would you mind getting me my sunglasses? I left them there after lunch."  
  
With a lopsided smile, Jaden tugged his cousin towards him and rubbed his knuckles hastily over her scalp. She twisted her lips in disgust and pain.  
  
"Jaden!" she shouted.  
  
"What? You're a knucklehead, Mina. What else can I do?"  
  
"You can let me go, that's what you can do!"  
  
Amused by the display, a thought flickered through Rei's mind. She cursed to herself, realizing that she would probably have to accompany the idiot down to his car.  
  
"I have to go back down too. I forgot those files that I had to retype last night."  
  
Nodding in acknowledgement, Jaden released his grip on Mina's arm and stood beside his secretary. Suddenly a bit self-conscious over his nearness to her, she felt herself grow angry at the playful attitude he always radiated freely.  
  
"We can go down together, then. There's nothing I'd enjoy more than getting to know my secretary better."  
  
As he cast his gaze forward, Rei stole a glance at him. She admired how he seemed to keep a slightly wavy hairstyle with a minimum amount of gel. She always thought that a small boy would look best with some sort of natural crimp to his hair and had always wished for one when she had kids.  
  
Why was she thinking of childrearing at this moment?  
  
"We better make it fast, Mr. Parker. I think you count as one too many people over the office limit for me."  
  
"That's too bad, Ms. Jaden Parker's Secretary. It looks like you'll have to be living with those uncomfortable conditions for the rest of your time here. Mina, be sure to take all calls and clients."  
  
And the two bickering coworkers voyaged off, both a safe distance away from each other as they walked, leaving a smiling Mina to watch after them.  
  
"Don't forget the nasal spray," she said softly, a smile beaming from her face. She always seemed content in oddly amusing herself. 


	3. Every Move You Make, Better Be Out of Th...

Author's Note (10-9-02):  
  
Yes, I know. I'm a bad LoveeDucky. Butcha know, it's hard juggling a schedule when you're mostly booked for everything anyway! I'm sorry for the slow update, once again- but this chapter was fun. I've gotten several more chapters written in my sloth-like mode, and I'm now working on Triangle. Yeah, so- there!  
  
Enjoy. Because, ya know, you're in for one eventful elevator ride.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~Chapter 3: Every Move You Make- Better Be Out of This Elevator!  
  
She had just needed to reach the ground level of the Berry & Berry building, but had been detoured the moment her boss had agreed to accompany her.  
  
"How did they manage to make a stalker song sound so sweet?" Rei muttered absently about Sting's I'll Be Watching You, not realizing that she had spoken quite loud.  
  
"I think it's a nice song. The guy's only trying to get the point across that he cares about his girl immensely. I thought females complained about men being shallow and inconsiderate?"  
  
She was about to respond to her male companion, and her mouth had already opened to speak when the masculine voice of Jaden Parker suddenly chimed in again.  
  
"I mean, I know for a fact that when a guy cares, he really cares. He'll do anything for her if it means that she'll love him."  
  
Rei raised an eyebrow at her cohort, startled at the way he had responded. She had heard many things about him, but she had never suspected him to be a romantic! Still, she remembered that words mean nothing until actions prove them. But when would she be able to see him prove them?  
  
"I still think it's a stalker song," she said stubbornly, her nose pointed away and in the air.  
  
"You can think that all you want. I'll still enjoy it."  
  
And with that said, the twosome enjoyed a moment of eerie silence, aside from the ballad softly playing from the intercom above them.  
  
When the tune had reached the verse, "oh can't you see," the elevator immediately came to a halt. The already dimmed lights flickered on and off, and the pair gave one frantic look at each other before the bulbs flashed completely off.  
  
"Looks like we can't go anywhere now," Jaden chuckled, his tone unsteady and surprisingly low.  
  
"And somehow, that stupid song manages to continue on!" Rei shouted in frustration.  
  
"Good thing too. It'll keep me calm while you go crazy."  
  
Rei felt insulted at this. After all, why would she lose her cool in such a typical situation? Granted, they had no idea what had went wrong with the elevator, or even when they would be rescued from the place, but she still remained tranquil. At least, she thought so.  
  
She pressed her back against the velvety wall, a cool breath of air escaping her lips, and slid down to the metal floor. Meanwhile, the song continued to play, but it seemed more choppy and stretched out in its tone than usual. Jaden decided to start singing along.  
  
"Every step you take, every move you make-"  
  
"Would you cut that out, please!" Rei screeched.  
  
A figure in dark, probably Jaden's head, bobbed against the metal wall across from Rei. She could tell from the bulk of the object before her that he had decided to sit down as well.  
  
The song, which had now come to an end, commenced again in the silence of the elevator. Rei's eyes bulged as her patience wore thin, and although she couldn't see Jaden's reaction, she heard a grunt and presumed that he was annoyed as well.  
  
"How in the hell can we stop that thing?" she asked, her glare aimed at the restless stereo piece above her.  
  
"I don't know, but we better get rid of it now!" he added.  
  
Rei made it a point to shoot up from her position on the floor and stumbled forward clumsily. She shrieked when her head collided into the hard chest in front of her, the throbbing pain from the impact swelling in her ears.  
  
"Nice move, Miss Hino," he teased.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
With the two now standing and ready to destroy the wailing object, Rei focused at the task at hand. She looked at where the sound was coming from and pinpointed its exact location, her brain itching for a plan.  
  
"How about I have you sit on my shoulders, and you can try to pull that thing apart?" Jaden suggested.  
  
"That might work. Let's try it!"  
  
She watched as Jaden turned his back to her, bending his knees to the floor and ready to pitch her on his shoulders. She silently prayed to the gods, realizing that if this situation were to happen in the light, she'd probably be laughed at for staring at his backside.  
  
"I wouldn't want that to happen," she whispered to herself.  
  
"What?" Jaden asked.  
  
With a furious pink blush invading her cheeks, Rei didn't respond. She placed her hands on his broad shoulders as support, and carefully swung one leg over. Thoughts pounded in her brain, all centered around how close in proximity their bodies were now.  
  
"Miss Hino. As much as I love to sit in this position, it'd be nice if you hurried up."  
  
Once again blushing, she threw the other leg over and unconsciously leaned her head to his, her arms around his neck as she balanced her weight.  
  
Jaden felt his body get weaker as she breathed on his neck. Her hair managed to droop down around his face as well. The smell of it intoxicated his system like beer to an alcoholic. In fact, he had been so focused on the girl on his shoulders that he didn't realize he had stood up too quickly.  
  
"Ow! You just made me hit my head, you dolt!" Rei screamed.  
  
He fell back onto the ground hastily, crashing down onto his knees. He felt the pain surge throughout his lower body, while his upper torso was weighed down by Rei's figure.  
  
"Ouch! My sensitive knees!" he shouted, throwing himself backwards.  
  
The pair of them fell to the elevator's floor, both landing with a thud. Rei screeched more violently, however, for Jaden's heavy body had landed on top of hers, with his arms entangled around her knees and his head upon her stomach.  
  
"Get off me!"  
  
He attempted to do as the screaming girl wished, pressing his hands down forcefully to pull himself back up.  
  
"You're squishing my hand!"  
  
Now a grin was tugging at his lips as he grew increasingly amused at the situation. He managed to get up, and in turn, offered his hand to Rei. She took it with a huff, and after being thrust back up onto her feet, placed her hands upon her hips and began to think.  
  
"That didn't work," Jaden muttered the obvious.  
  
"Of course not. It's because the idea came from an overwhelming jerk of a man!"  
  
He sat back down in defeat, wondering how he had chosen such an insolent girl to be his secretary. Had he been blinded by optimism? Ignorance? Or, had Fate decided to play a role in his increasingly difficult life?  
  
"Look," he began, his pupils trying to adjust to the feminine figure in the dark. "It didn't work because of lack of teamwork. If you hadn't had yelled at me, I wouldn't have fallen back down."  
  
"And if you hadn't had lifted me up so quickly, I wouldn't have hit my head on the ceiling, and then I wouldn't have yelled at you!"  
  
He sighed in annoyance. The girl did have a point.  
  
"Why don't we try it again? Only, this time, you're going to channel all that anger you have against me and pull the sockets out of that stupid stereo!"  
  
He noticed her head bob in the shadows. She was agreeing to his suggestion, he realized.  
  
Once again, he turned and lowered himself to the ground. This time, she got on his shoulders without hesitance. After he had rubbed his right knee in a consoling way, he latched his hands onto her legs, holding them to his chest.  
  
Slowly, he lifted her into the air, minding the fact that she was inches away from another head smash. Venturing over to the elevator stereo box, he let her get started, not bothering to stifle back laughs as she tugged furiously at every cord that lay within the box.  
  
When she had finished, the two of them were graced with the peaceful silence. No longer did the strained chords of Sting's heart-throbbing song infiltrate the air.  
  
Jaden lowered his companion back to the floor gently, smiling brightly. Rei recognized the beam of fainter color on his face and recognized it to be a grin. In this, she grinned herself.  
  
And then began laughing hysterically.  
  
"Ha- that- song- is- dead- and- and-" she chocked between hearty giggles.  
  
"Now we can talk?" he suggested hopefully.  
  
His eyebrow raised as she seemed to find intense humor in this, and her laughter erupted into a painful struggle between increased air intake.  
  
"Careful now. We don't want you dying before we see the open doors of the elevator again," he teased, placing a hand on her shoulder.  
  
She calmed down a bit after feeling the presence of his hand on her. Somehow, this kind of thing felt right. She had to resist the urge to slap his hand away and yell at him for being a man, but it still felt right.  
  
"I'm dying to hear more about you, Miss Hino. How about we talk, seeing that the repairmen have better things to do than to rescue us from our predicament."  
  
They pushed against the solid surface of the wall, slid down, and sat together. The increasing need to mock each other was now gone. It was just the pair of them, baring their soles to each other and laughing at past experiences.  
  
Jaden felt something tug at his heart every time he looked over at her dark form.  
  
Rei couldn't help but smile at every way he described things, moved, or even breathed.  
  
As the lights flickered back on and the metal transportation box continued its travel down to the lobby, the two people within the elevator exited with something different between them.  
  
It was, once again, the beginning of a beautifully complicated friendship.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Uh, yeah. By the way, there's an executive party at my house tonight. Lots of liquor, talk- the usual bull. I'll introduce you around, if you're interested."  
  
Jaden anticipated her answer the same way he had rehearsed the way he would invite her the rest of the working day. He had thrown the request out to her before she left for home.  
  
"Sure thing," she said with a smile. "I need to get out a little, anyways."  
  
His heart skipped a beat. She was going! This would be the most joyous occasion of his adulthood, he was sure.  
  
They both left their jobs for their homes, excited for an evening that would change their lives. 


	4. Some Party, And She Has a What?

~ ~ ~  
  
Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~Chapter 4: Some Party (And She Has a What?)  
  
It had been about seven hours since Rei had been literally pried from her experience with her boss, who's overwhelming suave manner and devilish good looks were beginning to sway her thoughts. It hadn't been over half a day, and she missed the smell of the cool, sharp vapor of his after-shave. She was even beginning to miss conversation, even though most of it had spun on the lines of vexing teases and sputtered "Ohs".  
  
"Rei, have you seen my wallet?" a deep male voice called from the walk-in closet of her master bedroom.  
  
Her thoughts stirred as she remembered the one person who stood as a blockade against her emotions: her boyfriend.  
  
Chad hadn't exactly been her knight-in-shining-armor, nor had he done well to sweep her off her feet, but he was loyal and kind and everything that a boyfriend should be.  
  
Well, sort of.  
  
"Rei?" he called again, worry in his voice.  
  
"No need to panic, Chad. It's right here with your checkbook and your socks."  
  
The suit-and-tie clad man jumped from the closet into the lighted bedroom, his hair still soaked with water from the shower. He looked to Rei in the vanity mirror as she combed her long raven hair and gave her a lazy grin.  
  
"I can always count on you, sweetheart," he said fondly before retreating back to the closet.  
  
Rei tried to remember a time in which she actually loved and adored Chad, and found nothing. She supposed that when they had first started dating, she may have liked him a little bit more than just a friend, but those days were long and gone. Now, she shifted from job to job in order to keep her share of the money flowing, and he continued his position as a top producer at one of the top music studios in the city. It was more of a business partnership than a relationship.  
  
He wasn't hideously ugly or repulsive, but he wasn't extremely attractive either. His shaggy brown hair was kept at the minimum trim in order to maintain its state, his blue eyes lacked the substance that romance novels reveled over, and his stature was stifled at a short 5'10". Still, girls seemed to swoon over him and shower Rei with jealous remarks over how "lucky she was".  
  
If being with Chad Burroughs was lucky, she'd had to kick the living daylights out of every deity that ruled over her. This was not lucky. This was bottling her up from every real love she could ever experience. This is why her attraction to Jaden Parker would have to end.  
  
"So tell me, Rei- how'd you get invited to this party? This isn't the sort of thing a secretary would normally be welcomed to, unless-"  
  
"Shove it, Chad. I was invited because I don't know everyone yet. My boss felt that it would be a good opportunity to rub elbows with all the big wigs in the place."  
  
Tousled brown hair emerged from a small opening in the closet door, and a curious face gazed at her in the mirror once again.  
  
"Just what does this boss of yours look like? I don't have to worry about anything, do I?"  
  
She rolled her eyes at his bout of jealousy. If he did have anything to worry about, she wouldn't let it bother her. He could be struck by lightning for all she cared.  
  
"He's a guy. He looks like a guy. But he's still my boss. So, no, you don't have anything to worry about."  
  
She hadn't been paying attention when the little man had exited his hiding place, so when he placed his arms around her waist, she was startled. She jumped excitedly, causing Chad to ponder her strange behavior.  
  
"Rei, what's with you?"  
  
"Nothing, honey. Do I look alright?"  
  
He nodded his head in response, smiling at her lovely figure. She stood up suddenly, breaking his embrace around her. After finger-combing her hair in the mirror, she turned to leave the room.  
  
"I love you, Rei," Chad said meaningfully but in vain. His beautiful girlfriend had left him alone with his aching heart and gentle thoughts.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
She had been wandering the place aimlessly, her mind in awe at how big Jaden's "house" really was. The furniture looked as if it had been bought the day before, the beautiful blue carpet was untainted, and the paintings and sculptures about the rooms were antique pieces that she was sure she'd seen in a museum or something.  
  
The host himself had been attending various important guests as she had entered, but she didn't worry. He'd find her soon enough. Until then, she was left to gaze at the wonders about her.  
  
"Wow," she whispered to herself. "What it must be to live here!"  
  
"It's not bad," the now recognizable voice of Jaden's spoke from behind.  
  
"You must have people throw themselves at your feet everyday! But, how can you afford such a grandiose marvel?"  
  
She turned to look at him, and her mouth instantaneously went dry. He was wearing the most beautiful Armani suit that almost gleamed of a rich blue color. The tones of the suit and his cerulean eyes blended well with each other. And in his eyes, Rei was almost surprised to find an element within them that she had never seen before.  
  
He walked towards her, handing her a glass of white champagne, and leaned against the glass coffee table next to her.  
  
"It's a long story, really," he began, watching her as she took a sip. "I must say, Miss Hino, you look ravishing tonight. The most beautiful woman I've laid my eyes on in-"  
  
"Rei! Rei! I'd like you to meet someone!" Chad's voice interrupted.  
  
He stumbled past the small stair into the living room, where he noticed his raven-haired beauty and another man. A handsome, rich, blonde man. Someone who Rei was sure to be attracted to.  
  
"Who's that?" he asked, the tone of resentment bleeding through in his voice.  
  
"Chad. This is Jaden Parker, my boss," she spoke softly, timid of her next introduction line. "Jaden, this is my- boyfriend, Chad Burroughs."  
  
The two men looked at each other in suspicion, but Jaden's expression had softened a bit. No longer did he appear to be the determined, assured man he usually was. He looked the part of a vulnerable, fallen creature. Rei couldn't quite identify what had caused him to change so swiftly.  
  
"I see. Well, Miss Hino, I'd better let you venture off into the party. I'll introduce you to some of my colleagues when you're ready," he said as he retreated out of the room.  
  
"By the way, Mina's around here somewhere. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you."  
  
And with that said, Jaden Parker was gone.  
  
Chad still remained.  
  
"I thought you said that I didn't need to worry?" Chad posed the question to her furiously, his voice slightly elevated.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Chad. Jaden's my boss, and-"  
  
"You think that I'm totally blind, Rei? I came in here to find you two, alone! That man's got the looks of someone quite deadly in the female department, and you've apparently been swayed by him already!"  
  
Rei's eyebrow furrowed at his accusations. Did he think that she was messing around on him? The nerve of him, to think that she'd purposely go and betray the one man who- who she apparently was stuck with!  
  
"Swayed by him? We were just talking!"  
  
Chad approached her quickly, observing her face and countenance carefully. She didn't know what he was expecting to find, but she found it quite rude that he peered at her in such a horrid manner.  
  
"Like I said, Rei, I'm not blind. I happened to see the way you reacted when I came into the room. You looked as if I'd just interrupted your one dream come true and transformed it into a nightmare."  
  
She threw her head to the side, avoiding his soul-gazing glare. She didn't know why he was acting the way he was. He hadn't interrupted anything substantial.  
  
"I'm going to go find my friend, Mina. You can just sit here and wallow in jealousy for all I care. You're acting as if I've gone and fallen in love with someone else," she spat angrily, and made her way out of the anger-stricken gallery.  
  
"No one mentioned love, Rei," he pointed out, his voice steady and firm.  
  
She ignored his comment and proceeded on her way to the crowded room. Searching through the faces, she finally came across one that was familiar: Mina's beaming, freckled face and golden blonde hair.  
  
"Rei!" she screeched, tugging Rei into the group she was in.  
  
"Hey Mina. What's up?"  
  
A familiar song came on and Mina started dancing with the beat, careful as to not let any of her suitors surrounding her feel neglected. She motioned for Rei to do the same, but Rei remained stationary, her feet planted on the ground. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she witnessed some of the moves Mina did with the men.  
  
"I didn't even know that the body bent that way," she muttered to herself, backing away from the group.  
  
Her back stiffened as she felt herself push against another body. Afraid that it was one of the bigger executives, she slowly turned around and prepared for an earful.  
  
"Miss Hino," Jaden addressed her. She sighed in relief.  
  
"Jaden! What a relief. I thought you were-" she began, her face animated with delight.  
  
"Your boyfriend?"  
  
She shook her head profusely. The look in his eyes pierced her and created a guilt within her heart. Of all the secrets that the man kept, she hated every single one of them. This new development only stirred her hatred more.  
  
"No. I thought you were someone much more unpleasant. But you aren't, are you?"  
  
He gave her a lazy grin and pointed at his cousin. She followed his direction and smiled at Mina's amusing situation. There were about fifteen men surrounding her now, each one gawking at her with gaping mouths. They were all in awe of her.  
  
"She always seems to have so much fun at these parties. Why don't you join her?"  
  
She winced at his suggestion. She could only picture herself standing among hungry wolves of men, their full attention on her every move. The power intrigued her- the way to get it made her cringe.  
  
"That's alright. I think I'd have more fun watching snails crawl."  
  
He laughed at her comment and as he did, the laughter lines tugged at his mouth and made his appearance more irresistible to Rei.  
  
"Well then. Would you care to join me outside? It's less noisy out there."  
  
Rei nodded with a gleam in her eye. He offered his arm to her, and she took it willingly.  
  
They passed through the mass of people, some drunken and others gesturing excitedly at the apparent "couple," and came to the glass doors that separated the artificial light from the true atmospheric luminosity. The sun was just about to set in all its pigmented glory. All in all, it was the perfect nesting ground for romance.  
  
That was just what Jaden had been counting on.  
  
"How beautiful!" Rei exclaimed, twisting the black knob and pushing the door outside.  
  
"Not a bad view, eh?" he mentioned, following suit with the other door.  
  
"It's gorgeous! I don't understand why everyone isn't outside. Just look at how pink that cloud is! And the darkened blue of the sky! It's not tainted by smog at all," she went on, enamored with the beauty before her.  
  
Jaden pushed the glass doors back to their original position, secluding himself and Rei from the rustling about of the people inside. They stood upon a balcony, created to replicate the Roman architecture, and looked on.  
  
She felt his presence closer to her as he moved to join her. He was standing behind her now, at an angle where she could glance over at him through the corner of her eye. Her concentration bounced from the sight before her to the incredible masculinity that presented itself behind her frame, and she couldn't decide which one was more appealing.  
  
Just the other day she had wanted nothing to do with him. Was she looking like a fool for changing her mind so quickly?  
  
"This is some party you're throwing here, Jaden," she said quietly.  
  
"I know. I'm surprised. This is by far the tamest, yet the best party I have ever had."  
  
He drew nearer to her. She could feel the contact between them- the thick material of his suit with her breezy, satin dress.  
  
"Why is this your best party?" she asked, her voice faulty as she choked back her nervousness.  
  
"Because you're here, Rei," he spoke with sincerity.  
  
She looked to him, her violet orbs looking with intensity as he moved his arms to encircle her waist. Two faces, focused only on each other, inched closer to signal the inevitable. A loud clash of shattering glass broke their concentration, and Rei and Jaden twisted to see only one thing staring them in the faces.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Author's Notes (10-19-02):  
  
Yes, I know I'm evil. To be honest (insanely so), this chapter was completed before the previous. I don't know why I did that- it just seemed easier to pull off this one than the other. I was getting stuck on their Sting-elevator stereo predicament.  
  
I hate to end on such a terrible cliffhanger, but I couldn't resist. I'm sure I don't have to tell you anything- I'll just let your imaginations make up stuff.  
  
On a sadder, more pathetic note: My love life continues to waddle in the shallow end of the romantic pool. Being a hopeless (and timid, at that) romantic, I couldn't help but fall back into my destructive path of admiration. In other words, I like someone from afar.  
  
A football player, of all people! A smart football player, though. He's in my Chemistry Class. Maybe I can ask him to eh, erm- study with me. It's so frustrating though, because I always clamor up when he's around me and I pull off this whole "I'm a Bitch" attitude quite convincingly, while he's barely spoken three sentences to me. If I didn't block his view everyday while taking notes, I'm sure I wouldn't even be noticed.  
  
That's not the point. The point is, there are only three more weeks of the trimester left and I'm left to flip around in my state like a fish out of water. I keep asking myself, what's my problem? Why don't I just break my haughty mode and talk to him first? Ehk- I guess if the possibility of even a friendship to result from this, something's gonna have to happen in the next two weeks. But what?  
  
Anyways, please keep reviewing! I enjoy every comment I read!  
  
-Lovee Ducky  
  
Reviews, anyone??  
  
\/ \/ 


	5. Blowin' Me Up

Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~Chapter 5: Blowin' Me Up  
  
"Did I say that this was my tamest party?" Jaden exclaimed, thrusting the glass door of the balcony open.  
  
"That's what you said," Rei answered.  
  
She let a sigh of discontentment escape her mouth as she hurried to keep up with the man before her. Her eyes witnessed Mina, the bubbly blonde she had interacted with no more than ten minutes before, tossed up in a brawl between two intoxicated men. If that glass hadn't fallen to the ground when it did, she and Jaden would have continued to be enraptured in their own world, and-  
  
Since when had she ever been enraptured in anyone?  
  
An almost complete stranger had managed to do this to her, which suddenly infuriated her even more.  
  
"Let go of me you- you- pig!" Mina's voice screeched from the excitement in the living room.  
  
Rei abandoned her straying thoughts and went inside to try to help. Jaden easily pulled one of the men away from the flying fist of the other, and Mina gave an eased smile.  
  
"Rei! What's going on?" Chad's familiar voice inquired from beside her.  
  
"My friend Mina's found herself tangled in a fight."  
  
Through her faded line of vision, she noticed Chad nod his head. But she failed to keep his interest and he soon ventured off in the other direction, possibly to drink some more of the complimentary white wine they were passing around. She didn't mind, however, as she was enjoying the scene that was unfolding before her.  
  
"That's my husband, you tramp!" some older, overdressed woman yelled at Mina, tugging vigorously at some of the girl's blonde strands.  
  
"You've ruined the night!" another shouted from beside Rei.  
  
The raven-haired beauty leaned against the wall in amusement as various other people proceeded to attack Mina. The blonde girl held them off skillfully, pushing one angry lady aside gently while she thrust the other away with her hip. She was quickly diverted by her cousin, who grabbed her arm and led her away from the mass of people before she caused more harm.  
  
Rei continued to stand in her place, watching the hustle and bustle of people either walking around drunk or passing out on the floor. She must have stood there for a good thirty minutes, fully entertained by the crowd, but also heavily distracted. She was greatly disappointed in how easily Jaden Parker seemed to catch her affection, and anyone who would have looked into her violet eyes would have seen that.  
  
Was there any way out? Would she have to return to work the next day, once again, in total humiliation of her actions? She hoped that Jaden would return, and she could give him the cold shoulder and pretend that they had not been on the balcony earlier in an intimate situation.  
  
But as everyone started to filter out of the huge estate and Chad returned to her side, she realized the truth. The Jaden who had left over an hour ago would not be seen again for the rest of the night. The party was over.  
  
She had been played.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Good morning, Rei," Jaden's all-too-cheery voice spoke from behind his office desk.  
  
Unfortunately for his secretary, it was not a good morning.  
  
Rei had came home the other night to have all of her thoughts and emotions barrel down on her. Throughout her sleepless bout, she came to understand exactly what Jaden had did to her. No wonder he had seemed so interested in a short span of time, and why he had left her and his own party abruptly.  
  
"It's nice to see you so happy, Mr. Parker," she responded coolly.  
  
In a rapid burst of anger, she clunked her bag upon her desk and threw herself into her chair. She turned to her boss, her eyes pushed into a glare, and saw his face light up with laughter.  
  
"What's so funny?" she asked quite furiously.  
  
His smile was mischevious, as if he was one step ahead of her in the game. And though she tried to tell herself otherwise, it touched her soul in a way she couldn't comprehend.  
  
"The way you just fell into your chair- I've never seen any woman do that, let alone a knock-out like you!"  
  
A heavy red blush invaded Rei's face, causing to turn her head from him. The compassionate grin that had passed on Jaden's face didn't go without notice.  
  
"Do you mind refraining from calling me such names?"  
  
"That's a shame. You've suddenly got a temper with me."  
  
She pressed the power button of the laptop on the desk and tried to distract herself by the effects of the loading screen. Her anger stirred within her veins, and her soul stung of the rejection she felt the previous night.  
  
"Will you talk to me please? Rei?"  
  
His voice hosted no element of longing as he pleaded, and he seemed quite insincere. She continued to glare at her screen, ignoring the man completely.  
  
She noticed when he stood up to approach her desk, his arms contently by his side as he stood to the right of her rolling chair. With a swift nudge, she was facing his direction, his towering figure confining her to her small space.  
  
Her knees knocked together, avoiding any contact with his thighs, which slightly straddled her legs in the position they were in. He bent his face to hers and used one hand to cup her chin, aiming her gaze towards his blue eyes.  
  
She didn't like how he felt he could control her. It restricted her to be someone who she knew she wasn't.  
  
"Leave me alone, Mr. Parker. I am not here to be your friend."  
  
His eyebrow raised in amusement. He was obviously impressed by her change in personality.  
  
"Keep the cold manner going, Miss Hino. It'll be fun to break through."  
  
A slender hand raised up to strike across his square face. A sharp slapping sound could be heard from across the hall, and several curious heads peaked from around the stucco corners of the office walls. Low voices spoke to each other, reminiscing of the Jaden Parker from long ago.  
  
All eyes were captivated on the pair in the compromising position. Minds took in the bewildered look on handsome Mr. Parker's face, and the reddened anger manifested in the lovely Rei's.  
  
"Great job, Miss Hino. You've gathered the entire building on this floor."  
  
"Why don't you let go of me and leave me alone?" Rei asked bitterly.  
  
Jaden dropped his hand to his side and backed away from his secretary's desk hesitantly. The fiery attitude of hers he had seen on her first day of work had returned, and the softer, vulnerable Rei Hino had left.  
  
However he had managed to change her, he had. Now he was going to have to find a way to get through that icy exterior of hers, or continue to be the cause of her bad moods.  
  
Still, the thought of opening up Rei Hino intrigued him. He was sure to be taken on a long, bumpy ride, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Author's Note (11-11-02):  
  
Yea. Whatever notion you had of Jaden and Rei getting together quickly, throw it away. She's not going to be giving up her "cold manner" anytime soon, and her attitude is just about to get even more sour.  
  
I'm sorry for still not being able to update Triangle, for those of you who have wondered about that. That's gonna be happening soon, as my trimester has finally come to an end, and I am so happily incontent.  
  
For all you Rei/Jed fans out there, or just plain senshi/general supporters, be sure to check out some more stories! There are some really good ones out there!  
  
I have a whole bunch on my favorites list, and a great list of recommended stories that I received from a friend. As always, I'm just an email away!  
  
Oh, and the reason behind the title? Actually, I was surfin' around the net the other day, wondering how bad JC Chasez's been looking lately, when I came across that annoying article about him wanting to go solo. Yeah, sure, I said to myself. First Justin, and now him? Ha.  
  
Well, I checked out the song that he did for some new movie called Drumline, and although I'm probably not going to be interested in the movie, I really do like the song. And it's not just the bopper in me that's speaking. It's actually a pretty good song. So, check it out- it's called Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love).  
  
Please Review!!!! REVIEW!!! REVIEW!!! YEA!!! (In the spirit of Special Ed, Crank Yankers style..)  
  
Alexiel- Ugh! Isn't AP horrible? It's good that you're eager to learn stuff in your class- we just had too much to do, and we griped about it! But anyways, the bad stuff is (possibly) over with now, and hopefully you guys are learning more stuff for the big exam on May- is it the 12th? I need to get reading on some of the material! Sheesh!  
  
-LoveeDucky 


	6. Ballpoint Pen

Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~Chapter 6: Ballpoint Pen  
  
"CHAD!" Rei shouted from the top of her lungs.  
  
They were fighting- again. Such was the custom in the couple's household, when Chad would perform a task so idiotic that one would wonder exactly how the idea had come to his mind.  
  
Before, when Rei would scream and Chad would run about the house in mischief, all the neighbors that flanked their house would come running and peek in the window. It was pure amusement to find Rei trying to beat her boyfriend with a belt as the coward fled.  
  
"You know I love you, Rei!" Chad yelled in reply, waving a pair of her red satin panties in the air.  
  
"I can't believe you! You've really done it this time! Oh, would you stop running already?" she hollered as she came to a halt, frustrated with his behavior.  
  
He may have thought it to be endearing when she chased him around, but she was getting sick of it. When had she, Rei Hino, been lassoed into such an ordeal? Her boyfriend thought it was always a great idea to play a prank on her, and then endure her "wrath" as she scolded him.  
  
If he wanted a mother, he could just go back to her.  
  
A small, salty tear formed in her eye as she reflected on the mess he had created. It had all happened rapidly within the past week, a little token of his "affection" being presented in her office on each of the days. It was all too much to bear.  
  
~ ~ ~ Last Monday  
  
"Good morning, Miss Hino," her boss had greeted her with formality today.  
  
Despite the fact that it was her own manner that had caused this new reaction, the stubborn Rei felt her heart sting at the sound of his voice. She had been a fool to think that true feelings could develop within a short span of time. She had been a fool to be so vulnerable to Jaden's touch.  
  
She turned and sat down at her desk, neglecting the big bunch of blood red roses that lay in a vase beside her laptop. Quickly, she distracted her mind with typing the newest papers in the wire basket, humming a sad tune all the while.  
  
Lunchtime had come upon her unexpectedly, and it was Jaden's pounding hand upon her desk that made her realize the hour.  
  
"Go to lunch, Miss Hino," he spoke firmly. "And you might want to water those roses sometime soon."  
  
She glared fiercely at his expression, although it read pure seriousness. Did his mischievousness have to leave with her vulnerability? What happened to the twinkle in his eye? Did he think that he could somehow break her by playing her own game?  
  
He ventured down the hallway without giving her further notice.  
  
With an annoying cheery sound, the laptop shut down, and Rei proceeded to shut the screen into its case. She glanced carefully at the vase of flowers, suspicion creeping into her mind.  
  
"It couldn't be from-" her voice dragged on, afraid to mention the name.  
  
She shook her head in protest. They weren't from him. They were probably from Chad, or her ass of a father, or someone else. Never from him. Still, it wouldn't hurt to look at the card.  
  
'My beautiful firefly,' she read to herself as she made her way to the service elevator, 'Things are tense, it seems they are. But you are still the most beautiful by far. Walk down to the lobby, and there you will see where the most beautiful girl needs to be.'  
  
Her mind wandered as she noticed that the card had been typed, and without a signature. The mystery enthralled her; who had sent these?  
  
Suddenly, her heart pounded with anticipation. She practically bounced up and down the whole ride down in the elevator, giving the other passengers around her reason to find her very odd.  
  
When she actually reached the lobby, she looked about excitedly, trying to find the answer to the riddle that had been the center of the card.  
  
"Miss Hino!" the office secretary called to her. "I was trying to reach you earlier. You have a letter here, Miss Hino." Rei hopped over to the front desk, eager to see what she had received. Sure enough, the older lady handed her a thin manila envelope, Rei's name signed upon it in perfect calligraphy.  
  
She fumbled with the golden clasps, hurrying herself to open and read the letter as she involuntarily walked towards the glass doors.  
  
"Miss Hino!" the lady called for her again.  
  
She turned her head to see the woman holding up one of the building's customary ballpoint pens. Confused, she shrugged her response, well about to turn back around and head out to her car.  
  
"I was instructed to give this pen to you, Miss Hino," the lady said. "Here. You stay there and I'll toss it to you!"  
  
Rei tried to shake her head and say no, and her hands were fumbling in front of her body to support this reaction, but the secretary mistook it for a ready position. The pen was thrust into the air, and seemed to rotate in slow motion to the horrified Rei.  
  
She was a horrible catcher.  
  
Clap! went her hands dimwittedly, but the pen went along its merry way. It reached just below her left kneecap to tear her flimsy tan pantyhose.  
  
Apparently, this lady was a horrible thrower too.  
  
"I'm so sorry Miss Hino! I didn't mean to-" the woman attempted to apologize.  
  
A hand flew up into the air, stopping the woman from speaking as Rei angrily examined the rip, and also, the long black line that had marked on her leg.  
  
"I'm-"  
  
The hand restated its position, this time effectively shutting up the old lady. Grunting, Rei bent over to pick up the writing object.  
  
"Umph!" a male voice strained as he suddenly collided with-  
  
Rei. She was now sprawled on the floor, nose to the ground, and her red skirt hiked up a bit over her back to reveal her pair of black satin panties. Startled to silence, she whimpered as a large hand tugged her skirt back down where it belonged, and both large hands grabbed at her waist to lift her up.  
  
She flipped around clumsily, expecting to scold whoever had run into her, but she found no one.  
  
"You have twenty minutes left, Miss Hino," Jaden's voice called from behind her.  
  
He had conveniently slipped past her while she tried to regain her composure.  
  
Grunting once again, Rei pushed through the glass doors, cursing under her breath about stupid old women and baseball.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"So, this is the place?" Rei muttered to herself as she carefully observed the coffeehouse.  
  
It was an exotic place, full of paper lanterns and sharp, distinct aromas. The letter had instructed her to arrive to Common Cents for lunch and specifically order a 'Ray of Sunshine', and so she had- and acquired both a specialized vanilla latte and a paper of some sort.  
  
"Just sign here please," the waiter wheezed, sniffling and wiping his nose on his white-buttoned shirt.  
  
She signed, but eyed her drink carefully when the waiter stumbled towards his other table. She wouldn't be drinking that, now.  
  
A few songs chimed through the stereos of the small store, and Rei fondly remembered the time when she and Jaden had been stuck in the service elevator. The Sting song invaded her memory as well, and she gazed around the room in need of a subject to focus her mind on.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
The day had passed slowly and uneventfully. Jaden had not spoken one word to her that wasn't a command, and Rei never smiled.  
  
But on her trip home, she casually patted the pocket of her red blazer jacket (which was resting on the passenger seat) to the rhythm Michelle Branch's "Goodbye to You." Her hand thudded against a bulky object that she hadn't remembered placing in there.  
  
"What's this?" she pondered aloud, reaching into the pocket.  
  
She had remembered shoving the B & B ballpoint pen into the space after her abrupt encounter with Jaden. But now, the pen wasn't there- instead, there lay a cassette tape with the label displaying the phrase, 'Play Me.'  
  
'Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream. Make her complexion like peaches and cream," the tape jingled from inside her car stereo.  
  
The absurdity of the moment played over in her mind. Who would have had the chance to plant the tape in her pocket while she hadn't been paying attention?  
  
And even stranger was the song Mr. Mysterious decided to give her. Why Mr. Sandman, the old barbershop quartet favorite? What significance did that have in anything?  
  
A smile finally came across Rei's face as she wondered the identity of her admirer. She giggled with excitement for the next day. Maybe she'd receive another gift, and another hint.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Author's Note (11-30-02):  
  
I hope you all have had a great Thanksgiving! My author's note is going to continue onto the next "chapter", because I wanted to respond to all the wonderful people that have reviewed! I swear, I'm having a lot of fun creating this story- and even it's greater knowing that it's being received well!  
  
Please, continue reviewing! I look forward to reading them, so- ( 


	7. Bathroom Frenzy

Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~Chapter 7: Bathroom Frenzy  
  
~ ~ ~Tuesday (the following day)  
  
Chad hadn't come home from work the night before, which was strange behavior for such a creature of habit. It hadn't worried Rei at all to discover his disappearance, but she wondered about it.  
  
"I wonder where he was..." she contemplated aloud on her now routine drive to the B & B building.  
  
She was going to be about half an hour early. She had suffered a night of pure insomnia because her dreams reminded her constantly of the expectations she had of this day.  
  
Rei wanted to get another hint. It was as simple as that.  
  
Her hand managed to crank up the stereo without her eyes having to divert from the road.  
  
'Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream...' the song blared into the air.  
  
It was a scratchy, low-quality song placed onto a cassette tape, but Rei was driving herself mad with ideas over who might have switched the items in her pocket. She hadn't left her jacket any place illogical: it had been setting upon her desk chair. Had she gotten up at any given time to use the bathroom or something?  
  
She realized that she had, but only for about five minutes, and Jaden had been in a long conference at about that time. So, who could it have been?  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Ahhhh!" Rei Hino screamed inside the women's bathroom.  
  
She had finally found a way to escape that egotistical maniac! Curses could be heard mumbled softly as she fumed over the acts of her boss.  
  
Two women from the second floor exited the bathroom stalls, fumbling with their skirts and purses and scurrying out the door. As they left, they didn't neglect to give Rei a strange look.  
  
"Yeah! This would happen to you if you worked with Jaden Parker!" she screeched, pulling vigorously on a strip of paper towel from its machine.  
  
Her head pounded against the mirror in agony, and for effect, she continued on for a few moments. When the ladies had fully left the bathroom, Rei smiled widely, and proceeded to her favorite stall: the second one.  
  
While one hand was securing the lock, the other was busy frisking her back pocket for something. Something, much to Rei's surprise, that was very clever and oddly romantic.  
  
'To make your smile so very bright,' the post-it read, 'find the underline and make it white.'  
  
Rei had found that underline on the document accompanying the yellow post-it. She had discovered that the document would not make sense until she had whited-out an entire line of scrambled letters that had been marked through with a straight black stroke. And then she had found the true meaning of the letter.  
  
She was supposed to go to The Caveman's Cove, a small café with a big reputation. There had been, according to popular legend, at least twelve proposals, all of which had been followed through with a successful marriage. What was the symbolic purpose of her being asked to go there?  
  
"Who is this mysterious suitor of mine?" she questioned to herself with a bright smile.  
  
She unlocked the door to the stall, ready and determined to face her insolent boss and his arrogant attitude. What had he meant by saying that she was the one who was selfish? It was he who had left his own party for some malicious reason of his own, not her. Rei muttered something to herself about kicking his ass sometime, and attempted to push the door open.  
  
The door wouldn't nudge. Again, a little bit worried this time, she tried to press her weight against the door and open it. Again, it failed.  
  
"Oh my God," she spoke somewhat calmly, her voice elevated with panic.  
  
She jumped against the door this time, hoping that it would budge slightly. Nothing. Reddened with anger, she pounded against the door furiously.  
  
"Someone get me out of here! The door won't open!"  
  
She fumbled with the locks a bit, hoping that she'd somehow be able to open it up that way. Pushing at the door, however, proved to be a hard task, and it still wouldn't budge. Rei eyed the floor underneath her feet. There were pieces of toilet paper, small water spots, and dirt- everywhere. She happened to be donning a professional rendition of Marilyn Monroe's famous white dress. She would not be crawling that floor.  
  
Rei began to bang on the door profusely. If there was someone out there, they were going to save her. She would make sure of it.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Jaden had just purchased a Kit-Kat from the candy machine after his trip to the men's room, when he heard shouts from the neighboring women's restroom. He looked around him, wondering if he was hallucinating, and cautiously approached the female-labeled swinging entrance.  
  
"Oh well. I might as well go in."  
  
He took in a deep breath, and made his way into the bathroom.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Is there anyone in here?" Rei heard a male voice ask.  
  
"Oh great," Rei whispered. Of all the people to rescue her, it had to be Jaden.  
  
"Miss? Do you need help?"  
  
Jaden chuckled at the audacity of the situation. He didn't belong in here, no matter who was in trouble. If just one woman were to enter the restroom at any given moment, his character would be ruined. He would forever be labeled a pervert.  
  
"Jade- I mean, Mr. Parker! I'm stuck!" Rei cried.  
  
Embarrassed, Jaden moved toward the stall that the voice was coming from. How his secretary managed to get into these ordeals, he would never know.  
  
"Miss Hino. What's the problem now?" he addressed her.  
  
"The door to this stall won't open!"  
  
He observed the ground below the stall door. She could somehow creep beneath the little opening. A grin appeared on his face when he thought about what she had been wearing earlier. It was a little white number, stopping just above her knees. If she would have worn something slightly longer, she might think about crawling. But this was stubborn, crabby Rei Hino. A bomb would have to be planted in the stall before she'd even think of an idea like that.  
  
"Should I try to pull it open?" he asked, eyeing the metal object before him.  
  
"Yes, you moron! Why else would I be screaming for help if I didn't need help opening the door?"  
  
She stepped backwards unintentionally, pressing her legs against the cold surface of the toilet. Jaden then placed his hands strongly on top of the door ledge, and pulled with all his might. He grunted and groaned a few times when it stayed put.  
  
"Maybe you should crawl under the-"  
  
"No way! There is no way that I'm getting on that filthy floor with a dress on!" Rei retorted fiercely.  
  
There was only one answer: he'd have to kick it in.  
  
"Stand back then, Rei. I'm gonna kick the door in."  
  
Aggressively, he kicked the door open with ease. And as it opened, it revealed the distraught Rei, face reddened with panic and fury, standing awkwardly in front of the toilet. He laughed with amusement.  
  
"Ok, Miss Hino, you can come out now. You're safe."  
  
He stretched his hand out to her, ready for her to take it. His stomach grumbled with hunger. That candy bar sure sounded good right about now.  
  
Rei ignored his hand, walking past him and towards the sinks. She adjusted her hair, which was tousled from throwing her body against the door, and turned towards Jaden. He had saved her.  
  
"Is it lunch time yet?" she asked in a slightly haughty manner.  
  
"Yes. And good thing too. I'm so hungry," Jaden responded.  
  
He approached her slowly, his eyes intently focused on hers. She couldn't disregard the complete sincerity in them, and the softness in his face, and the longing she had in her heart for him to come near.  
  
Suddenly, a snobby older woman in her early thirties entered the restroom, her nose in the air as she made her way to the first stall. Eyeing the broken door to her right, she pushed the stall door open and locked it behind her.  
  
Jaden gave Rei an almost infuriated glare. She stared back, determined to fight his intimidation, and exited out into the hallway. Jaden followed.  
  
"Great job, Miss Hino. No wonder the door opened so easily when I kicked it."  
  
"Shut up, Jaden. Just shut up."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Author's Notes (12-08-02):  
  
I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday. I just got my license, so I went joy riding around my beautiful town! This chapter is leading up to next week's chapter, which will detail the events of Tuesday evening (yes, evening) and Wednesday afternoon. Don't worry- there will be a very important Senshi cameo next chapter! And, Mina hasn't disappeared- she'll be in next week's chapter as well.  
  
Thank you, katefire002, for the "hint" of the week! Oh- but wait. Where's the gift? No worries, it'll appear in next week's chapter as well.  
  
Please, let your creative juices flow and send me your ideas of hints and gift ideas! This is seriously important!!  
  
And please review and tell me your likes/dislikes of this story! It's my job to make this and entertaining to all you readers out there.  
  
Thanks to everyone who has reviewed recently, including Shigromia, DragonStar, Alexiel, Iryl, Princess Ren, Anya, CherryStarr, and Sylyne! I love to hear from you guys, and I'm glad to know that you like the story!  
  
Reviews are an author's favorite thing! So, until next week.  
  
-LoveeDucky 


	8. Do You Know the Muffin Man?

Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~Chapter 8: Do You Know the Muffin Man?  
  
~ ~ ~Wednesday (the day after Tuesday)  
  
Rei furiously typed away on her laptop, angry this morning for no particular reason. Yesterday afternoon, after her brilliant bathroom "rescue" by suave man Jaden Parker, she had no other token of acknowledgement from her secret admirer. She couldn't understand it- why hadn't she received any further note from him? If he had forgotten to get her a gift, a simple apologetic letter would have sufficed.  
  
Still, she had received nothing and she was angry at his neglect. Especially since it was already mid-morning and she still hadn't received anything.  
  
The buzzer on her intercom beeped with static, and Jaden's voice blared through at an uncomfortable volume.  
  
"Miss Hino, I would like to see you in my office. NOW."  
  
Rei made a face at the black machine, pushing her rolling chair from the desk forcefully.  
  
"I would like to see you, Miss Hino," Rei mocked in an awkward pitched, childlike voice. "I'd like to explain to you the details of my illness which deems me time and time again, in the presence of your radiant, glorious, beautiful company, a complete dimwitted asshole."  
  
"Miss Hino!" the intercom buzzed again. "Shall I send you home for the day for bad behavior?"  
  
She stuck her tongue at the failing piece of technology on her desk, and sauntered through the door to her boss's office.  
  
The sight before her almost threw her back in surprise. Jaden Parker stood before her, his stern face aimed at her impressionable violet eyes, a new determination in his face that she had definitely never seen before.  
  
"Enough with the sick games, Hino. I think that, as your boss, I am entitled to a certain respect. And if you think that you can somehow rattle me with this stupid note, you're wrong. I'm a grown man. I've lived on this unforgiving earth for 26 years now and I don't intend to play dumb to some beautiful shrew who's masquerading as my secretary!"  
  
Rei stood silently, her head held highly as she absorbed the full meaning of his thorny comments. She didn't have the slightest idea what he was rambling about, but something inside of her stung. Jaden looked pained and angry, two elements she had never thought him to possess, and he was directing these emotions at her.  
  
"Look- I know what they say about me, Hino. I'm sure you know too. I'm a bed-hopper- a womanizer. I use and abuse. I constantly put that phrase 'wam-bam, thank you ma'am' into practice. But none of them know the way I felt when that girl walked into my office, or how deeply I fell in love with her the weeks that followed her hire.  
  
"None of them thought to point a finger at her for leaving me so distraught in this law firm. None of them questions who's she sleeping with now, because she's gone and forgotten, and stinking rich.  
  
"But they all know how I feel about having you here. I don't know how, but they do. They laugh at how weak I become when I glance at you out there, typing away with that scowl on your face. They know why I insisted on hiring you- they know everything, but I had no idea that they knew me so well."  
  
Rei attempted to blink back her surprised stare as she looked at him, that blond mass of a man, blubbering about something that Rei was sure that she didn't quite understand, and didn't want to.  
  
"But for you to know- I just don't understand it! Why would you want to take advantage of this situation? You don't seem like that type of girl at all!"  
  
Rei finally took in a deep breath, walked calmly over to Jaden who now had his arms flailing in frustration, and patted him on the shoulder. The look in her eyes radiated a certain confused tone similar to the one she had seen in his her first day, and first accident, on the job.  
  
"Jaden," she said softly, grabbing a pale pink piece of paper from his tight grasp, "I have no idea what you're ranting and raving about. It's almost like you've gone completely-"  
  
She stopped talking as she glanced at what the typed note actually said. Her eyes widened at the words "sexy" and "bedroom" that were lazily placed in the text, and began reading the rest of the mesmerizing letter aloud.  
  
"I thought you might like to know," she paused as her eyes scanned the following sentences, "I think that the chemistry between us is earth shattering. Despite everything in your past, I'm hoping that we can step forward and become closer. You'll see that I'm not the Wicked Witch of the West, but a young girl with-"  
  
Rei paused once more in her recital as her heart beat escalated.  
  
"Problems? A young girl with problems? What kind of crap is that!"  
  
Jaden took a few steps back towards his desk in embarrassment, fully realizing that his secretary really hadn't understood a word he had said. He picked up his Mickey Mouse coffee mug and took a large gulp.  
  
"You mean that- you didn't write that?" he asked the raven-haired girl doubtfully.  
  
Rei shook her head in response, her eyes still concentrating on the pink paper in her hand. There was no signature and no proof of identification, and Rei couldn't calculate what had made Jaden accuse her of such foolishness.  
  
"I don't know who wrote this, Jaden, but it certainly wasn't me. And as for whatever happened in your past with that girl who obviously hurt you, I don't know anything about that. Neither you or Mina allow me to know what it is that happened to you, and I'm quite content with that, because I'm simply your secretary. And that's _all_ I want to be."  
  
With that said, Rei Hino exited the office and briskly walked into the nearby break room. Jaden Parker stood solemnly in his office, embarrassed at his thoughtless outburst, and stared at the door after her.  
  
"Is that all you want to be?" he delicately asked into the air, ignoring the many curious faces outside his office.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
The day had continued quickly and quietly, much to Rei's dismay. It just didn't seem right for a day so full of excitement, stress, and confusion to pass by like a breeze. She had received a full bouquet of exotic Casablanca Lilies, a flower she had never set eyes on before, and it was love at first sight. Unfortunately, they arrived without a note, hint, or anything that would give away its sender.  
  
Though his eyes had found their way over to her area once or twice throughout the rest of her workday, Jaden had refrained from calling her at all. She hated that with a passion. Despite everything, every infuriating word sent her way or his handsome, soulful stare, there was a well of emotions threatening to emerge. And although every event didn't make sense and everything was happening entirely too fast and spontaneously for her, she felt satisfied.  
  
"Such is life," she muttered to herself as she gathered her things into her briefcase and shut down her computer for the day.  
  
The elevator ride down was filled with emptiness, Rei observed. She stood with at least four other people, all business and no fun, and thought back to the good conversation and interest she had had when she had gotten stuck with the arrogant Jaden Parker.  
  
The trip home in her car was stifled with silence as well. Not that she had ever traveled with Jaden or anything, but she just felt like- she didn't know what she felt anymore.  
  
She set her keys on the living room coffee table as soon as she had entered the house, perfectly content with walking about in the dark. Her eyes adjusted and she slowly made her way to the back porch.  
  
"Rei? Is that you?" she heard Chad's groggy voice call from down the hallway. She answered him and continued her path to the great outdoors.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Jaden Parker paced back and forth along the doorway to his secretary's house. He hadn't meant to follow her home, especially since she had gotten out of work so late in the evening, but his mind kept replaying the horrifying statements he had made earlier in the day. He had accused her so coldly of viciously manipulating him, and then he almost proceeded to tell her that he actually cared for her.  
  
He found himself with his face almost pressed into her front door. His nose was not three inches away from the cold, hard material, but he just couldn't bring his hand up to knock on it. Until...  
  
The door swung open, an unsuspecting young woman about to step right into her tall, solid boss.  
  
"What- what?" was all that Rei could sputter, and she clutched her arms tightly together in her button-up shirt.  
  
Jaden himself was astounded, but not by her sudden presence. It was by the way she looked, with her black tresses hanging loosely behind her back, and the red in her cheeks from a rise or fall in atmospheric temperature. He almost forgot that he had been burned not long ago, and that the wound in his heart tore ever so slightly with every gaze he made upon her face.  
  
"I'm- actually, I-" his tongue tried to get out, and he looked to the ground for support.  
  
"This is quite a surprise, Mr. Parker," Rei spat out, aiming her embarrassed gaze at his polished brown shoes.  
  
"Yeah. It is."  
  
Jaden fidgeted about nervously. He hated this feeling that overcame him. He felt like a blubbering, awkward teenager all over again! He never even felt this way when he was with...her...  
  
"May I ask, Mr. Parker, what you are doing at my house at 10 o'clock in the evening?"  
  
The addressed man suddenly looked up, his face stern with determination.  
  
"Cut the formalities, Rei. I just came to apologize."  
  
Rei rubbed her hands up and down her arms, cursing herself for being as fidgety as the man in front of her. She kept her serious countenance and just stared at him awaiting an explanation.  
  
"I sounded so stupid today," Jaden spoke softly. "I've never become so temperamental after reading a note before, and believe me, I've gotten some notes that would make even Howard Hughes blush."  
  
A cool grin returned to his face, a sign of his confidence growing. Rei leaned her figure against the open doorframe, her eyes still set on the handsome rogue in front of her.  
  
"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. That's not possible. But it is, Rei. I don't know what came over me- I've just been preoccupied lately with a lot of things, and I guess I've just had this welling fury growing inside me. I didn't mean to take it out on you, Rei. Believe me."  
  
Rei shuffled her foot back and forth on the cracked tile below her. A soft wind blew in for the moment, and her loose raven strands carried themselves far behind her small frame.  
  
"That's not all that was happened, Jaden. Not everything that was said was malicious. I'm just curious as to who this girl was that hurt you and why I'm tied into all of it."  
  
A masculine cry could be heard from deep within the house, and Rei's face suddenly flushed red from discomfiture as Jaden's eyes widened.  
  
"He lives with you, too?" he asked all too passionately.  
  
Rei walked outside the mantel to join Jaden outside and closed the door behind her. Whatever this was about she was determined to discover this night and not any other time afterwards.  
  
"Rei...I really think this is something that is best explained somewhere else than- here."  
  
She nodded in agreement, taking Jaden's arm and hoping her own through it.  
  
"Which is why we should get out of here. Shall we?"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Author's Note (6-17-2003):  
  
Yes, I know. It's been a very, very, very long time. But hey, school's out, and I officially have more time to be spending on this story! I think this chapter is somewhat dissatisfying and highly unlike the way I guess it would have been, had I completed the chapters I needed to way back when I had last updated.  
  
Still, I'm planning on finishing soon- and hopefully it'll make a little bit more sense, huh?  
  
By the way, for all you Triangle fans: the reason (besides school and neglect) for the lack of updates on the chapters is that my brain is searching for more possible scenarios. See, I set it up for two parts. I personally thought, since most of the readers were divided between Jadeite and Endymion, that I would just have two separate stories devoted to each of them. But since I haven't gotten around to that, I'm just telling you guys now.  
  
Sorry, once again, for the lack of updates. I promise that I'll be more in tune these couple months, and though Triangle will probably not be completed by the end of this summer, I'm intending this story to be. I hope that you guys enjoy- and there will be more humor in the next chapter, I promise! Promise promise promise!!  
  
Reviews anyone?  
  
Please don't be too harsh- remember I've been out of practice for at least 6 months!  
  
Reviews, Reviews,  
  
REVIEWS  
  
Hehe.  
  
Ok, I'm done now. Now REVIEW!!!!!! 


	9. My Invitation

Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~Chapter 9: My Invitation  
  
"Chad _is_ pretty wacky, if you ask me. He's obsessed with the golden oldies and Radio Disney, and he's always running about frantically. Sometimes I wonder if he's on speed!" Rei exclaimed, sipping up some of her Mocha Coconut Frapachino (A/N: No, I don't do these note things at all, but I just wanna say- go to Starbucks and try that stuff! It's goooooooood!).  
  
Jaden tossed Rei a small smile, his cheeks warming with a soft red color. Rei raised her eyebrow in wonder, as she often did around him, as the thought of him being absolutely handsome grazed her mind once again.  
  
Her companion stayed silent, a conviction that Rei was not about to ignore. She stared at him as he slurped his orange smoothie, and suddenly had the urge to...  
  
"Whoa! What was that for?!" Jaden sputtered, his blue eyes widening at the mischievous Rei.  
  
Was he hallucinating? Had Rei Hino-stubborn and indecisive Rei Hino- really leaned across the small table and kissed him? His brain fogged over, disabling his ability to think clearly, and his eyes continued blinking in disbelief.  
  
Rei allowed a small giggle to escape from her lips.  
  
"Well, I concluded from your stale silence that you too must have a passion for golden oldies and Radio Disney, and I certainly don't have to ask if you're on speed..."  
  
Jaden feigned shock and threw a rolled up napkin at the young woman across from him.  
  
"Be careful, now. I'll slip some into your cup when you're not looking, and then _I'll_ be the one who's laughing. Ha ha."  
  
The pair laughed at their bad jokes and silly behavior. A moment later the laughter subsided and Rei was left to analyze the reality of the situation.  
  
She was appalled at herself. Not a while ago she had decided against her attractive, bold boss because he had toyed with her emotions. Now, after some stupid riddles and gifts she was finding herself growing increasingly interested in him. Never in her 24 years would she actually act on an urge like she had just seconds ago. She would never be the aggressive one and kiss someone like she had Jaden.  
  
What was she getting into, allowing herself to be wrapped-up in her boss like she was? This was a man who had the power to grab her, use her, and then throw her away like a half-eaten apple core. She was falling into a trap; a trap designed solely to make her fail and fall.  
  
But no matter how angry he made her, or how much he kept from her, or how insolent his manner might be, she couldn't resist him. Jaden Parker was so irresistible, and now more up close and personal than he had ever been. And the worst part was that Rei actually _enjoyed_ this feeling.  
  
"Rei? Are you even listening to me?" Jaden's voice interrupted Rei's constant thoughts.  
  
"Hmm? What did you say?" she answered back, her chin resting comfortably on her wrist.  
  
Jaden chuckled softly to himself, stood up and jerked his chair to the side.  
  
"Come on," he gestured for her to get up. "It's my turn to whisk you away to my favorite place. Take your iced coffee and let's go."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
They had strolled along the shore of Malibu Beach, the cool ocean breeze blowing gently in their direction. Silence had loomed around them, and they welcomed it. It didn't seem like words were not being spoken between them. They were on a level that didn't require impressive vocabulary or small-talk. It was just Rei, Jaden, and the ocean.  
  
"Well, Jaden, I think it's safe to say that we _are_ officially in the most beautiful place in this state."  
  
Rei sighed in admiration. The waves in the ocean crashed against each other fiercely, bringing a calming sense to her soul. For the moment, everything was as it should have been. Maybe even with Jaden by her side.  
  
"It's my favorite place to go when I'm down, thoughtful, or happy. It's something of nature that I can turn to through all my moods," Jaden explained.  
  
"And what's your mood now?" Rei asked, her face eager to hear his reaction.  
  
"Oh Rei, I'm absolutely happy in love. Did you even have to ask?"  
  
Jaden tried to hold back a big grin, hoping to catch Rei in surprise. Instead, Rei's cheeks furnished a deep red blush, and she pulled her arms protectively against her chest as if she were cold. Instinctively, Jaden placed his arm around her and pulled her close to his side as they walked.  
  
The awkwardness of the situation grew for Rei, who was struggling with all her thoughts and arguments in her head. Here she was, walking with Jaden in the middle of the night at a place that was more than simplistically romantic, and she wasn't feeling the least bit guilty. She was surprised at how warm she felt inside.  
  
Suddenly, Jaden stopped at a long log on the beach and sat down, motioning for Rei to do the same. She placed herself more than a foot away from his body, but he somehow maneuvered himself closer to her than she felt necessary. Her thigh twitched at the contact his leg was making with hers. She gulped nervously and tried to make herself relax.  
  
"Really, though- I'm glad I brought you here," Jaden remarked sincerely, his gaze set upon the beautiful blue sea in front of him.  
  
Rei couldn't help but smile, but the nervousness still lingered. Jaden turned to look at his companion, noticed her discomfort, and once again placed his arm around her. He smiled when he felt her shoulders ease up and her body naturally leaned into him.  
  
"You said earlier that Mina and I didn't allow you to know about my past. For the longest time, the only souls that really knew my story were myself, Mina, Diana, and the sea. It's been this hurtful event in my life that can't be recalled without me flinching with pain. But, if you really want to know..."  
  
He looked at her with a glistening tear in his eye, his gaze cast oddly downward. Rei guessed that he was lost in his own sad memories.  
  
She thought she was imagining things when her ears picked up the faint sound of a song.  
  
'You are what they call the human season. You are all the alphabet in one...'  
  
A hauntingly beautiful voice sang sadly to a lovely solo accompaniment of a piano in the distance. Jaden pressed his nose to Rei's violet hair and she heard a groan escape his lips.  
  
"She was the most gorgeous creature I'd ever seen, Diana. She waltzed right into my office like a fallen angel from heaven, and I couldn't help but be spellbound."  
  
Jaden spoke softly, moving his face back towards the inviting ocean. His eyes were clouded over with a gray mask, and Rei looked over to him, her own sadness taking over as she heard both his words and the lingering song in the air. The song grew louder as the keys of the piano were pressed into Rei's mind.  
  
'You are every color of confusion. You are all the silence I've become.'  
  
His arm had fallen back to his side by now. He was still as close to Rei as ever, but at this precise moment, his heart and core were somewhere else. Rei found her hand roaming down the slick material of his jacket to find the flesh of his hand. Without a word, she let her fingers slide between his and form a tight grasp.  
  
'Drowsy contemplation...Do I let you in?'  
  
The song grew louder, and Rei was certain that she saw Jaden's face lighten with confusion. He must have been hearing the song as well.  
  
"I let myself be spellbound by her for a year. Then, without warning, she took off with the top executive of the B & B without so much as a kiss, or even a goodbye. I've never been heartbroken before, but that was the only time I would ever want to go through that. My heart was shattered into a thousand pieces, and I had no one to help me sweep them up."  
  
She watched intently as he sadly hung his head towards the sand, his blonde hair waving with the wind's persistent breeze. Curious, she used her free hand to feel through it, wanting to absorb the energy from the light strands around her fingers.  
  
Jaden turned his head slowly to meet her stare. His thumb rubbed into her palm, and his eyes widened when her other hand continued flowed through his hair.  
  
'This is my invitation...but how do I begin?'  
  
His blue eyes, still stormy with mystification and sorrow, created a path from Rei's violet orbs to her salted red lips. He couldn't begin to say what he really meant or felt. He couldn't bring himself to open his mouth and not talk about...  
  
"You."  
  
Rei shrugged her shoulders near to her chin as she shyly retorted,  
  
"What about me?"  
  
'She has such an awful lot of soldiers'  
  
"You came into my office, and I've never resented her more. She left me with a broken, scorned heart, and I can't give it away to you. It's not fair to sell a broken item."  
  
Rei's mouth formed an "o" shape, and her hand dropped back to her side. She had never felt happy and lonely all in the same moment before.  
  
'Quite a lovely army all her own'  
  
Jaden tugged her hand to his heart, and she flinched as she felt the rapid beats of his chest. He never tore his gaze away from her face, and he never stopped his path between her eyes and her mouth.  
  
'Night and day they stand before the fortress'  
  
"I thought you'd laugh if I told you that it's slowly pulled itself back together. Thought you'd scoff it off if I told you that I've found more courage in myself these days than I've ever had my entire life. But I'm not so sure about you anymore..."  
  
She found herself intoxicated by Jaden's words and his brilliant blue eyes. She could never get enough of his eyes, so mischievous at times. This time, they were serious and wanton at the same time.  
  
When his lips finally crashed upon her own, her senses were far from intact. She was being so careless and stupid that she couldn't believe herself. But the warmth from his lips, and the flavor and passion were enough to silence her doubts completely. Her arms flung around his neck as he intentionally bent her back into the log.  
  
The crashing of the waves, the lone songs of the seagulls and the song were all that could be heard over the thumping of two young hearts.  
  
'Very safe, but very all alone.'  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
A/N (7-12-03):  
  
Ok, yes! I know it's been a while (again). To answer a question posed by reader MCRK, chapters 1 and 2 had been switched. Which means that chapter 2 comes before chapter 1, which I don't understand. I don't remember even accidentally doing that- because, don't you have to intentionally _replace_ those chapters with each other? Oh well. It should be fixed by now.  
  
The song used in this chapter is called My Invitation by Sarah Slean. It's a very beautiful, sad song- and since I was a huge Dawson's Creek fan long ago, I think it fits perfectly with the circumstances in this chapter. I highly recommend you download it.  
  
Well, all you guys who hoped for a romantic interlude- here it is. Erratic and senseless, it is. Until next time-  
  
LoveeDucky  
  
BTW------- You ARE going to review, aren't you?  
  
YOU ARE, RIGHT?  
  
REVIEW!  
  
There are several laws I just broke by writing in all caps. Well, just one. Go to homestarrunner.com if you're looking for humor! I guarantee it's fun! 


	10. Say Goodnight, Not Goodbye

A/N (7-15-03):  
  
Awww, but Crissy- the beauty of hasty declarations and promises is that it's all too true to life; at least I seem to think so. I do everything hastily, especially in love. I know it may seem a bit off center- I just got caught up in all the romance. Besides- attraction can make people do crazy things.  
  
Thank you to Lauren, Princess Ren, il0verice, Jabba, and others for reviewing. I wouldn't be able to go on if you guys weren't around and vocal- hehe.  
  
You know, DragonStar, you just gave me a great idea. Hehe, I hadn't planned on Diana representing Usagi or anything, but wouldn't that just make everything more interesting? And of course, the former lovers must meet again (since she's still with the top executive). There are always two sides to every story...Happy Birthday, by the way!  
  
And Minh Minh, I agree. Poor Chad. What did he ever do to deserve this? You know, I feel that this story could also be a representation of my own (if not everyone else's) love life. I always resent those who like me, like Rei, because I don't feel the same. I don't know why- resent is just what comes naturally. But hopefully, when my Jaden Parker comes...hehe. Oh, and btw Minh Minh, that song was actually a lot of my inspiration on that scene. It just put me in the mood I needed to be in.  
  
Aamalie- I would probably watch Everwood too, if I had the WB! I'm so mad that DirecTV doesn't have a designated WB channel- and there's no way I could get it with cable. Not where I live, anyways.  
  
Well, I thought I'd dramatically change my style and put the author's note before the story this time. Anyways, enjoy!  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~ Chapter 10: Say Goodnight, Not Goodbye  
  
~ ~ ~ Thursday. The Next Morning...  
  
Ring! Ring!  
  
Rei tossed her bed covers over her head. It was too early to be dealing with loud, obnoxious sounds and objects.  
  
Ring! Ring!  
  
"Gods...who would call at this hour?" she moaned.  
  
She fidgeted backwards a bit to get comfortable, and then raised her head to pat and fix her pillow.  
  
Ring! Ring!  
  
"Puh-leeze...be a nice annoying object and shut up!" she said before wedging her head between the soft mattress and the pillow.  
  
Her nose took a small whiff of the aroma around her. She smelled several things: a rich blend of coffee being brewed somewhere in the distance, the sea salt from the ocean still absorbed in her hair, and this new, musky scent that smelled a lot like men's cologne. She took a larger whiff of the cologne- its scent enveloped her like a tight, friendly bear hug.  
  
Ring! Ring!  
  
Rei rose up onto her hip, her eyes trying to adjust to the lighting of the room. She saw an unfamiliar rug on the tile outside the French doors. Actually, she didn't remember having French doors by the bed in her bedroom...  
  
Ring! Ring!  
  
"Hino- are you ever going to answer that? It's been ringing for the past 15 minutes!"  
  
Rei jolted awake at the sound of _that_ voice. Slowly, she bent her head to examine what she was wearing. It was a beautiful, exotic negligee. The color was a light lavender which, to Rei's surprise, blended well with her skin tone, hair, and everything,  
  
Ring! Ring!  
  
She turned her attention to her buzzing cell phone, the annoying object that had awakened her from her slumber. She picked it up off of the nightstand and examined the caller ID.  
  
The lights centered on the words "Home #", and Rei immediately knew that there would be no plausible explanation for her disappearance in the night.  
  
Ring! Ring!  
  
The phone shook with fury in her hands. She bit down on her bottom lip, took a deep breath, and pressed the center button.  
  
"Hello?" Her voice trembled slightly.  
  
"Rei?! Darling! Where have you been? I heard you come in last night- but you didn't stay? What's wrong? Why aren't you-" Chad rambled on the opposite end.  
  
"Listen," Rei interrupted. "I came in last night, but I was restless. So, uh, I went out- to the beach-and, well...I guess I fell asleep. But I'm fine now."  
  
Chad's sigh on the other line signaled to Rei that he was not satisfied. In fact, he was probably more irritated and worried believing that she fell asleep on the beach. Rei's mind stirred up an additional, more credible lie.  
  
"I went to Mina's after I went to the beach. Remember Mina? Well, I just needed to talk to someone, so I ended up staying here. And this is where I fell asleep. So I'm safe."  
  
Just then, _he_ entered the room. Both hands were occupied by two cups of that heavenly coffee she had detected moments before, his blue eyes sparkled, and his physical build was enhanced by the absence of everything except his clover leaf boxer shorts.  
  
Rei looked at him as if she was frightened of him. Her face began to pale, and she could feel a slight tremble running through her arms. He had the brightest smile on his face, and he looked at her as if he had known her his whole life. She still had the phone by her ear and she could hear Chad talking incessantly, but she had lost focus. Her mind was spinning with the reality of it all. How could a romantic walk on the beach cause her to falter so quickly?  
  
Eyeing him, she muttered her goodbyes to Chad and clicked the phone off. She plastered a false smile on her face, her eyes blinking back the remnants of sleep. Jaden placed the coffee mugs down on the dresser drawer beside him and stood in front of her. He had a mischievous grin on his face, and he bent his knees slightly as if he were ready to pounce on her.  
  
He was about to jump when Rei bounded up from the bed, her movements a bit slow from having just awoken, and made her way to the opposite side of the room.  
  
Jaden watched her walk away from him, and his eyes widened with confusion. He let her wander a few moments more before he questioned her attitude.  
  
"That was Chad on the phone, wasn't it?"  
  
Rei's back was to him as she had been walking away, and at his words she stopped. She turned her head sideways in an effort to address him without actually looking at him.  
  
"He's worried about me. I never leave in the middle of the night. It's out of character for me."  
  
Jaden eyed the beauty before him and instantly complemented himself on choosing such a harmonizing night outfit for her. He approached her slowly as he tugged his hair back with his hand.  
  
"Maybe you should do some things out of character once in a while. It might make you less bitchy."  
  
She turned herself towards him now, glaring at him for his comment. He threw his arms up in protest, attempting to look somewhat innocent. His smile, however, stayed on his face. Rei shook her head in frustration.  
  
"What time is it, Jaden? Did you forget that we have work today?"  
  
He shrugged in reply and rapidly grabbed her into a unyielding embrace. He leaned backward as she fought to place her arms around his neck for balance, and the two ended up with their faces merely inches apart.  
  
Rei did her best to scowl and pretend she wasn't affected by his youthful charm, and she would have effectively pulled it off-if Jaden hadn't teased her into giggling by making faces.  
  
"There's the smile I've been waiting for," he said with affection, and he pushed his lips to hers for a kiss.  
  
Rei's countenance suddenly softened at his touch, but she quickly pulled away. Jaden tried to lean further backward to bring her closer, but she resisted his efforts.  
  
"Despite your persistence, I have to say that I think that this entire thing was hasty and impractical. I mean..."  
  
Her words were muffled by another kiss from Jaden as he placed her back down onto the floor and kept her in his tight hold. Her arms remained encircled around his neck as she tried to recall what she had been saying.  
  
"I mean...I'm your boss, and you're my secretary-" she said softly as Jaden's face mocked her.  
  
She immediately regretted speaking.  
  
"Oh, so I'm _your_ secretary?" Jaden repeated with a huge grin. He rocked her body back and forth as she stared angrily at him.  
  
"You know what I mean," she added. Her arms loosened around his collar and fell atop his shoulders. She directed her gaze elsewhere.  
  
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I really hadn't felt any need to divulge my past to anyone before you came along. I can't explain it-it would probably sound really stupid if I did, just like this sounds stupid- but I shunned women as actual people for the longest time. It hurt so much. But now, with you-"  
  
Rei laughed at his declarations, refusing to believe him. They hadn't known each other for very long, and despite what seemed to be a physical attraction, they had a long distance to go in order to make a valid, sensible relationship. Rei began to wonder if they had made a mistake, and bit down on her lip as her mind contemplated her options.  
  
"Hino...don't try to analyze the situation. What happened, happened. There's nothing either of us can do about it."  
  
He released his grip on her and started walking towards another door in the bedroom. She grabbed onto his hand before he could completely leave her, and they both turned to face one another again.  
  
"Jaden...where do we go from here?"  
  
Her voice was soft and desperate. Her eyes glistened with threatening tears, and her body was stiff with fear. She awaited his answer patiently, staying motionless even as he took a few steps closer to her.  
  
"I guess there's nowhere we can actually plan to go."  
  
Rei raised her face to him, her expression all too somber. Jaden wondered if anyone had ever seen her so weak and anxious for someone else to direct her decisions. He cupped the left side of her face with his hand, wanting to find an answer himself. He wanted the answer that he himself would be happy to choose.  
  
It dawned on him as he searched into her eyes. Here she was, beautiful young Rei, in the arms of his own reckless, arrogant self. She had everything in her life that she could possibly want: a good, loving boyfriend, house, income...she had been fine without having someone like him to disorder all of it.  
  
It took all the courage he could muster up within him to finally answer her.  
  
"Let's just play it as we go," his voice cracked a bit as he spoke, and he pulled away from her and into the master bathroom.  
  
She now stood as an emotional sapling- a twelve-year-old girl with stars in her eyes and a twang in her heart. Her brain was beginning to intercept her idealistic thoughts.  
  
"I guess this is goodnight then, Jaden," she whispered to herself.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Rei Hino mentally reviewed the beginning of her day in her head. Compared to the awkward, distasteful morning she had had, her day at the office was a piece of cake.  
  
Sure, fat Mrs. Johnson from the second floor had managed to break the only working fax machine before Rei could fax Jaden's twenty-three paged report on the effects of smoking on the common client. Rei tried to disregard the fact that the way the machine was broken was quite grotesque. She had been walking into the equipment room with the manila folder in her hands ahead of Mrs. Johnson, until the fat lady decided to speed up the pace. Pretty soon, Rei was smack dab on the table that had once holstered the ailing fax machine. The mentioned appliance was now in busted pieces against the wall, and the well organized papers were strewn across the floor.  
  
Then, in order to be able to send the report in on time, Rei had needed to run to the nearest Kinko's. Of course, in order to get to the parking level quickly, one must ride the elevator. The lovely elevator made an unexpected halt between floors 4 and 3, stranding her in a confined space with Mr. Thornton. Thornton, as she had learned the hard way, had an uncontrollable gas problem. It was embarrassing for him and absolutely mortifying for her.  
  
When she had escaped the elevator, very hurriedly compared to her usual dart out of the elevator, she had neglected to see the "Wet Floor" sign before her, and her brisk dash was cut short by her terrible meeting with the floor. Her lips and cheeks were smashed against the tile print of the floor, and her long hair was thrown every which way.  
  
"Mother Nature must _really_ hate me," she had muttered incoherently as she continued to lie on the floor.  
  
She had felt a strong hand lightly take her elbow and signal for her to stand up. Her head had flown up, hoping that the kind stranger was not the same man whom he always seemed to be (Jaden), and she had sighed with relief when she saw the letters "UPS" on his brown uniform.  
  
"Oh, thank you!" she had exclaimed as she had carefully stood up.  
  
She then had brushed her suede skirt off, grabbed the now tattered manila folder, and went on her merry way with a smile.  
  
Now she was sitting on the wooden benches of the nearest park, enjoying her usual tuna salad sandwich and lemonade. She popped a piece of sandwich into her mouth, her eyes fixed on the waddling ducks in the pond ahead of her. She glanced at her watch while taking a sip from her lemonade straw, and she was disappointed to see that she only had thirteen minutes left of her lunch break.  
  
The dark strands of her hair blew with the wind as she chewed on another piece of sandwich, and her attention was now focused upon a couple in the distance.  
  
There was the man, a dashingly handsome-type man with dark hair and a contagious smile, and the woman, a thin, beautiful girl with long blonde hair tied into an interesting hairstyle.  
  
"Hmm," Rei mumbled to herself. "Looks a bit like she's got a meatball on each side of her head."  
  
She giggled quietly at this thought, and her mind made up several jokes that all centered around the silliness of the girl's hairstyle. Yet, no matter how silly she thought the girl's hair to be, it seemed to fit her. It was different and exotic, much like Rei's violet eyes and violet- tinted hair.  
  
The man and woman were sitting on a blanket in the grass, eating various foods from a picnic basket that also was positioned on the blanket. He said something to her that made her laugh, and she threw what appeared to be a grape at him. And then they did something that Rei did not expect. They kissed.  
  
Normally Rei would be embarrassed to be staring so intently at a scene like that, but she just couldn't tear her eyes away from them. They were a beautiful couple, and there was something familiar about them that she just couldn't seem to shake.  
  
She ate the remainder of her sandwich and got up to return to work. Before she reached her car she took one last look at the couple, and she noticed that they were both looking back at her. Her cheeks flushed with color as she slipped into the driver's seat of her Toyota Celica, and she headed back to the B & B building.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
"Hey!" Mina shouted behind, startling Rei out of her seat.  
  
"Geez, Mina- you certainly know how to make an entrance!" Rei stated, pushing herself back into her rolling chair.  
  
Mina smiled, exposing her dazzlingly white teeth, and slammed a package onto the organized desk. Papers flew off onto the floor and Rei could have sworn that she heard the shattering of glass.  
  
"This came for you," Mina explained as she locked her eyes on the brown wrapping of the box.  
  
Rei rolled her eyes at her friend's antics. She poised her hands above the masking tape of the package, and asked Mina if she'd like her to open it.  
  
"Yeah! I'd love to see what's in it!" Mina said excitedly. "Oh, but wait-"  
  
Her face quickly formed a more serious countenance. She was going to be the bearer of bad news, and she was determined to do her duty.  
  
"Is Jaden in? I need to speak with him..." she said, peeking through the glass to see the blonde-headed man behind his desk.  
  
Rei became curious. Why did this conversation between Jaden and Mina seem like it would be important and intense?  
  
"I hope you don't mind me asking. What is it that you need to talk to Jaden about?"  
  
Mina gave her a grim look in return, and Rei instantaneously knew not to ask any more questions. Taking a deep breath, Mina turned the knob to the office and entered, closing the door behind her. 


	11. Trouble

Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~ Chapter 11: Trouble  
  
Mina slowly entered the office that belonged to her cousin, peering from behind the door. Her steps were cautious and quiet, all maneuvers that were totally uncharacteristic to her normally cheery and intrusive manner.  
  
Jaden had been reading the newest issue of Us Weekly, the only secret indulgence he would never allow anyone to know of, with his feet propped up casually on his desk and a soft tune being hummed from his lips. He felt brighter this morning-brighter than he had felt in at least a year.  
  
"Hmmm.looks like Britney and Justin are back to feuding," he muttered to himself.  
  
When he saw Mina's blonde head emerging from behind his office door, a beaming smile grew on his face. He couldn't wait to tell her everything that had happened the night before. Well, he could wait, in fact- his face reddened when he realized that he had to hide his magazine from sight as soon as possible.  
  
He threw the magazine in the wastebasket near his rolling chair and stood up quickly, brushing his Armani suit down a bit before presenting his cousin with a confident, if not arrogant, grin.  
  
Mina finally found herself standing face to face with Jaden, her form no longer hidden behind the door. She was frightened in many ways at this moment- her usually chipper mood had been cut short with a new revelation that could possibly leave her favorite cousin a mess.  
  
'Oh geez...he's smiling, too!' she thought to herself regretfully as she looked at him.  
  
She was about to open her mouth to speak when Jaden's eyes abruptly sparkled with a mischievous twinkle. She'd seen this threat of misbehavior before in him, but this twinkle was somewhat different. Her curiosity got the best of her.  
  
"Ok, Jaden. What is it?" she asked suspiciously, folding her arms across her chest. She hoped that he had not discovered _it_ before she had and had convinced himself that he had a chance. He'd have to be dumb and naive to do that-but then again...  
  
"Mina.....you'll think I'm stupid for saying this, but-"  
  
"Oh, oh no! You are not going to get yourself into this mess again, Jaden. Do you hear me? Don't fall into it!"  
  
Mina flew across the room, agitated at the idiotic senses her cousin had suddenly found. Her poor mind didn't tell her that she might have been jumping to conclusions.  
  
"What's got you so huffy?" Jaden said with a snort. "Did Rei tell you?"  
  
The blue eyes of the female Parker blinked with certain puzzlement. Her head bobbed to the side. She wasn't completely registering what the buffoon was saying, but if he was saying what she thought he was saying...  
  
"JAAAAADDDEN! YOU FINALLY GOT WITH REI?????!!!!" she screamed in excitement, squealing and jumping up and down on the padded floor.  
  
Jaden attempted to silence her by waving his hands down in signal, but the girl persisted. On the other side of the door, though, the ravishing brunette known as Rei Hino was busy eavesdropping on the pair. He watched as she and her chair tilted backwards, her mouth slightly open in concentration so she wouldn't fall.  
  
THUD!  
  
The chair and the beautiful girl went down to the floor, as evident by the slender legs (of both the chair and the girl) that soared up into the air a moment before the thunderous sound exploded through the building.  
  
Jaden burst into laughter, his attention far from his excited cousin and the skeptical look she was giving him.  
  
"You have completely forgotten that I'm even in here, huh?" Mina asked in a convicting tone.  
  
He waited to get his laughter under control before he answered her. His face was reddened from the energy he had put into his amused reaction, and his eyes were clear and vulnerable.  
  
Mina had really been excited when she had thought that her cousin and his secretary had decided to date. Her eyes brightened with envy, however, when she realized what was _really_ happening.  
  
"Jaden..." her voice drawled with a playful taunting. "You're in love with Rei, aren't you?"  
  
His ears had only picked up the word 'love' as he had been watching the beautiful raven-haired girl's recovery outside his office. He turned to Mina wearing a smile that was big and genuine, and Mina smiled at the fact that she was right.  
  
"Did she say she was in love with me?" he said eagerly, his eyes searching hers for the answer.  
  
"You're in love with her! Oh my gosh-this is so exciting! Have you told her? You idiot- you need to tell her! This means that I'll have a...a...well, another cousin!"  
  
Mina was jumping about the room as Jaden absorbed all that she was saying. He-Jaden Parker, the man who had become a god-like figure at the B & B-in love with his secretary? It couldn't be love. It was only hours before that he had decided that he was not going to ruin her life by making decisions for her. He wanted to be with her, caress her like he had the night before-but he couldn't, and it wasn't love.  
  
Or so his mind conveyed to him, though his heart pounded at the thought.  
  
He moved back to his chair and his desk and sat down, still in apparent deep thought. Mina continued jumping up and down like a giddy schoolgirl, until she remembered the real purpose behind her solemn entrance into her cousin's office.  
  
"Jaden," she began, perfectly intent on telling him what was bothering her so much.  
  
She looked at him, with the passion storming in the deep blue orbs of his eyes, and she couldn't bear to let him down. She'd just have to look after him more carefully-that was, if Rei didn't keep his attention all the time.  
  
Mina smiled to herself. The nasal spray lobbyist and the arrogant blond tyrant had managed to overcome their differences and succumb to the desires they had subconsciously denied. It was a match made in heaven. Much better than-  
  
Her eyes caught another figure behind the door of Jaden Parker's office. This one was thin, blonde, and had two meatball-shaped items in her hair. It took everything in Mina to stop the urge to ram through the door and beat the other figure to a pulp.  
  
She took one last look at Jaden. He was mindlessly staring at the ceiling, his feet once again propped up against his desk as he bobbed his chair back and forth. He certainly did not need to be disturbed.  
  
With her hands balled into fists, Mina Parker made her way out of the office.  
  
"I'm sorry, miss?" Mina heard Rei's voice call down the hall. "Did you say that you needed to talk with Mr. Parker?"  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Rei continued on her venture for the young girl with the funny hairstyle. She bit down on her lower lip in frustration as she called out to her again.  
  
"Miss? You need to speak with Mr. Parker?"  
  
Finally, the young blonde girl with the strange hairstyle emerged from behind another door. She looked timid, Rei observed, and she was presently biting on her index fingernail as she approached her.  
  
But she was very beautiful as well. Her eyes were a lovely shade of blue, and her skin was even and light. She could have been an angel or some other celestial being, Rei guessed. And then she remembered...  
  
"The girl from the park..." she spoke to herself as the image recalled itself from her memory.  
  
The girl continued walking towards her, until she saw something behind Rei that startled her.  
  
"Diana!" a familiar female voice called. "What in Venus's name are you doing here?"  
  
Rei's eyes widened with disbelief. It couldn't be- could it? Jaden's former love-the heartbreak of his life-was standing before her in the flesh, and she just happened to look like a goddess from the moon? Rei's heart struggled with feelings of sadness and jealousy. Had the girl come back for Jaden?  
  
Rei's mind once again recounted the image of the girl at the park. At that time, she hadn't been alone. In fact, she looked very content with the handsome man she had been with. She wasn't intending on winning Jaden back...she was going to break the news to him that she was around and somebody else's.  
  
"Mina," she turned to her blonde friend, her countenance fighting the sadness that threatened to show itself.  
  
"Yeah?" Mina replied calmly, folding her arms across her chest as she glared at Diana.  
  
"I'm going to let you handle this. I'll get Jaden out of the office, if you'd like me to."  
  
Mina raised an eyebrow at the idea, her stare not breaking from the meatball-haired girl before her, and nodded silently. Rei nodded in acknowledgement and took one last look at the other girl. Her lips pursed together as she took a few steps forward, and she was on her way to get her man.  
  
But was he really her man?  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
He had been frantically pacing about his room nervously, something that he wasn't really accustomed to. After Mina had barged in unexpectedly and they had had their little talk, he had a part of his life to look forward to. And although the little voice in his head insisted that he was an idiot for even letting his life advance so rapidly, he knew that he was right where he needed to be.  
  
He had spent a year in a premature dating mode which had resulted in a "playboy" like reputation for himself. In the entirety of that year he had forgotten sincerity, honesty, chivalry- everything that a good man should uphold regarding the opposite sex. But one week with the strangely clumsy, headstrong Rei and the true romance he had in his heart began to display itself.  
  
To think that she could be in love with him, so quickly even, made his heart beat faster than he had ever thought possible. He almost scolded himself for feeling so anxious and emotional. He could, at the moment, compare himself to his female cousin and her giddy cries of triumph when she would get a date with some guy from the office because he felt like shouting of victory as well. Actually, that didn't sound like too bad of an idea-  
  
"Jaden?" a surprisingly chipper voice called to him from behind his office door.  
  
He lowered his arms to his sides, which had been ready to pound at his chest in a very Tarzanian fashion, and looked towards the door.  
  
Two high-heeled feet stepped out into the office, and when Jaden's eyes finally caught the sight of Rei's face, her smile had brightened significantly. He had never really seen her smile the way she was at this moment- relaxed and carefree. She approached him steadily, her violet eyes reflecting a glimmer of something that he had seen from himself from his mirror this morning.  
  
She stopped only a foot away from him. Her standard yellow-paged notebook was loosely held to her chest, one of her pens placed above her right ear. She was in full secretarial mode, although she would look best dressed as a princess.  
  
"Hi," she spoke softly, her gaze locked on Jaden's.  
  
"Hi," he returned with a smug smile. A little nervous, he raised his hand to push some loose strands of hair from his face.  
  
They stood in silence, both still staring at each other, and made small gestures that indicated anxiety. Rei suddenly giggled, stopping herself as her face turned red from slight embarrassment.  
  
Jaden returned her laugh and his hand made its way to Rei's face, pulling the pen from her ear and adjusting her hair the way he liked it.  
  
"Look at us," Rei said with a smile. "We're both acting like junior high kids. Except, what happened last night was not in the slightest bit-"  
  
"Juvenile? You got that right," Jaden replied, closing the distance between them.  
  
"I just came to get you out of the office," Rei sputtered, knowing full well that her small outburst was induced by his hand tickling her collar bone.  
  
"What for?" he asked seductively, his lips making their way to her left earlobe.  
  
She had to push him away from herself, worried about the attention they'd get from other employees. As far as she was concerned, their office romance could be commenced anywhere but the office. She didn't want to be discussed in the lounge room as Jaden Parker's newest conquest or a conversation piece around the muffin bin.  
  
"Let's just go. It's about lunchtime now anyway."  
  
Jaden looked at her questionably, folding his arms across his chest.  
  
"Besides," she added in a different tone of voice, "wouldn't you like to do this somewhere more romantic than this stuffy old building?"  
  
He looked to the ceiling in mock thought, placing a finger to his chin to exaggerate the situation. Rei swatted at his arm and let her hand travel down his arm until she found his hand. His smile intensified, and he allowed her to lead him out of the room.  
  
He pulled back when the two came to Rei's desk. He observed the brown package and instantly became curious.  
  
"What's this?"  
  
Rei shrugged her shoulders in reply and her ears picked up the faint sound of two female voices from another hallway. She immediately recognized one of them to be Mina's, and her mind went into a quick panic. She had to get Jaden out of the building, and fast.  
  
Grabbing the package and placing it under her available arm, Rei practically had to run down the opposite way with Jaden to avoid the meeting between him and Diana. She really didn't want a confrontation between those two because it would only mean one thing- she would be put on the back-burner. She had never had that happen before, and she didn't want it to happen now.  
  
Meanwhile, as Rei and Jaden had escaped to the other elevator, Mina and Diana had made their way to Jaden's office.  
  
"Look Diana," Mina said firmly, "I don't want you coming anywhere near my cousin. He's come a long way since you left his life a big fat mess, and I don't want him to go into a relapse. Besides, he's got Rei now, and I don't want him to forget her because your scrawny ass decided to make an encore appearance."  
  
Diana shook her head in protest. She was hurt by Mina's portrayal of her, which was a gross exaggeration from Jaden's point of view, probably.  
  
"Mina, I'm not here to 'reappear' in Jaden's life or anything. I'm simply here to share a piece of information with him that I think he would want to be informed of."  
  
"And what would that be, Diana?" Mina answered skeptically.  
  
"I'm engaged."  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Author's Note (9-07-03):  
  
Sorry for the delay, everyone! Now, I realize that today is the day after Nasal Spray's official one-year marking, and I apologize. I wanted to have this posted yesterday, but some things delayed it.  
  
Ok, this chapter has really been bugging me. The last part of it I just had to write quickly because if I didn't pen it now, I wouldn't finish it any other time soon. And just so you know, this story took a complete turn in a direction that I wasn't aware it was going to go, so I apologize for any inconsistencies that may present itself either in this chapter, previous chapters, or future chapters.  
  
I'm going on and on at about 10:20 this evening when I still have 15 vocabulary words to look up and half of Beowulf to read, so I'll get to it. Enjoy the chapter, and please, don't forget to  
  
REVIEW. REVIEW. REVIEW.  
  
Are you loving it right now? Hating it? I wanna know. Now hop to it, and goodnight. 


	12. A Large Snippet of Nothing in Particular...

Title: Nasal Spray  
  
Author: LoveeDucky  
  
Given Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: Same as before  
  
~ ~ ~ Chapter 11: A Large Snippet of Nothing in Particular- and The Gym  
  
~ ~ ~ Friday, Early Evening  
  
A giant "huff" came from the hollow mouth of Rei Hino.  
  
'Just one more minute,' she thought to herself as she attempted to keep her body in rhythm.  
  
The familiar upbeat song style of 80's Madonna blared from the building's stereo system. She instantly heard an excited girl cry out in triumph.  
  
"Yay! I love this song!" Mina seemed to magically yell despite being on her third mile on the treadmill.  
  
Rei rolled her eyes in amusement as Mina began singing along and urged her to join her.  
  
"Like a virgin! Whoa- oo- oo," the bubbly blonde sang and proceeded to skip along with the tempo on her run.  
  
"How.....can.....you.....manage.....that?" Rei sputtered out as a huge gob of sweat trickled down from her forehead. She really needed to whip herself back into shape.  
  
Her friend turned to face her, smiled brightly, and continued to sing- or wail- with the song. She wasn't about to miss the opportunity of enjoying Madonna in the gym.  
  
Rei pressed a button to speed up the pace of her treadmill, a renewed strength flowing through her veins. Mina may have been a daily gym-junkie for the past year, but Rei was determined to catch up to her progress. Her face flushed with a slight ache upon her cheekbones.  
  
"I'm so glad that you agreed to join me, Rei!" Mina cried with enthusiasm, slowing her machine gradually to a walk.  
  
Rei looked at her with a grunt of relief. She also proceeded to slow her treadmill down. The pair of them then stopped their appliances and hopped off. Rei grabbed her towel, sponging the various patches of sweat that were pooled around her face and neck. She couldn't stop her goofy grin from plastering itself on her face.  
  
"So, we get to leave now?" she asked, her voice a little too cheerful.  
  
Mina threw her a gesture of confusion. Their evening of "gymtastic" fun was not over yet.  
  
"Oh, no silly! We're done with the treadmills, but there's still that entire side over there," she said, pointing to a massive amount of exercise equipment including stationary bikes, weights, and even jump ropes.  
  
Rei's mouth dropped with shock and surprise. She had never seen such a huge exercise facility in her entire life, and she knew that she would regret this hour intensely in the morning.  
  
"Don't worry, Rei," her friend assured her, glancing at her watch. "We've only got 50 minutes left!"  
  
The tired raven-haired girl felt her face glow with a white color and her knees grew wobbly. It was going to be a long hour indeed.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Three massive men stood outside the wooden door, peeking through the steamed glass at the two girls inside. They both laughed at the ridiculous, perverted, and bulky guys.  
  
"Do they not believe in giving people their privacy?" Rei giggled as she teased them, heightening the towel half an inch up her leg.  
  
Mina tied her hair with her hands as the sweat collected on the back of her neck. Her metabolism was winding down after a heavy workout, and she felt very content in the musky heat the sauna offered. She looked over to her companion, the silken dark hair clinging to the tiled wall. Mina smiled brightly. She was glad that Rei decided to join her. She was quickly becoming one of her good friends.  
  
"You better be careful, Rei," Mina playfully warned. "Those men will gather together like a huge fan club, and we'll never be able to get out!"  
  
Rei laughed in response. She detested the savage beasts outside the door, but she fondly admired the attention they were receiving. Her endorphins were kicking her into high spirits after the grueling hour she had spent biking, running, lifting, and dancing rigorously, and she felt like teasing the entire male population.  
  
In midst of her happy mood, her mind began looming over a certain young man, and the problem his presence presented in her life.  
  
Around Jaden Parker she could be furious, embarrassed, sorrowful, or whatever emotion came across her graceful form, and still harbor a high regard for him. She hadn't known him for very long, but she was almost certain that every moment with him would be an eventful surprise.  
  
"Mina, what am I doing?" she suddenly spoke with a regretful tone. "It's all happening too fast, and.....I have a boyfriend. A very devoted boyfriend. Someone whom I was planning of marrying someday. What am I doing?"  
  
Mina closed her eyes in some sort of content meditation. She understood that Rei and Jaden had come together in some sort of rush of emotions, and it could possibly return to a mutual hatred by the next business day. Still, she kept her hopes about them.  
  
"He's very devoted to you, and you were planning on marrying him. Yet, you give in to some strange sort of mating ritual with your boss. I can only ask, how are things with your boyfriend?"  
  
Rei hung her head in slight disappointment.  
  
"I wish I could say that things were great. He gives me everything I need, want, and don't ask for. He loves me with 110% of what he has. He's not extremely handsome, but a good man. Am I being completely vain? Is it Jaden's good looks that strike me?"  
  
"Well, I don't know. But it's interesting that in that entire summary of your boyfriend's love, you neglected to mention one thing."  
  
"What's that?" Rei asked, her eyebrow peaked in curiosity.  
  
"Your own love."  
  
Mina nodded in acknowledgement of her own wise observations, wrapped a towel around her waist, and proceeded out of the sauna.  
  
She was halfway through the line of men when she heard a loud "thump", and a masculine voice whimpering in pain. Her smile was wide with amusement as she stopped walking, but she dared not turn around.  
  
"What are we going to do with her?" she said to herself with laughter, and then continued her path.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Rei sighed in irritation, the fifteenth sigh she had made in the ten full, boring minutes she had been sitting alone. Her slender fingers tapped on the marbled glass of the table, and a wavy strand of her raven hair fell from the neat and delicately styled bunch to the olive-toned skin of her forehead.  
  
'What is keeping him?' she heard herself mutter from inside her head, her face growing red with impatience.  
  
The waiter passed her table, uninterested in her solitude and sulkiness, until he glanced in her direction and noticed the fiery violet eyes that belonged to the girl.  
  
"May I help you, miss?" he offered with a impish gleam in his eye, shifting the full serving tray from his right hand to his left.  
  
She would normally oblige the waiter with a polite shake of her head, but her attitude refused to allow graciousness.  
  
"You could leave me alone, and ogle some other woman's goods. I'm in no need of help."  
  
And with that, she turned her livid eyes away from him and towards the entrance of the restaurant. The waiter, surprised and wounded by her comment, stomped off, but not before entertaining Rei's ears with a heavily poisoned remark.  
  
'I am NOT an evil shrew, you pompously incompetent creature!' her mind shouted in reply, her face armed with a glare that could cause even the healthiest of roses to wilt.  
  
She couldn't place the exact origin that her rage was feeding from, but she knew that it was the center of all of her frustrations. The worst symptom of the anger spell was that she felt no remorse whatsoever for whatever conflicts she had caused, regardless of who was receiving the brunt of her attacks.  
  
It all made her infuriated. Here she was, dressed in her most elegant ruby gown, sitting in a white-collar, four star restaurant, and waiting to eat dinner.....with a partner who had neglected to return from the men's room.  
  
She was tempted to stand up and leave the building in spite, when the sharply dressed man finally approached the table. In his hand was a single red rose, complemented by a few branches of baby's breath. The flower was placed on Rei's plate, and she looked down on it with irritation.  
  
It seemed as if she was literally attempting to stare down the flower with a fierce countenance.  
  
"I'm sorry Rei, but I haven't been gone more than fifteen minutes," he apologized as he took his seat across from the fiery young woman.  
  
"If you feed me an excuse about the line to the bathroom being long, I'll bite your hand off," she growled through clenched teeth.  
  
The man chuckled in response. He placed his sturdy, large hands on the table and attempted to lean in for a kiss. She sat upright in her seat, her head facing the other direction in avoidance of his gesture of affection.  
  
Puzzled, the man sat back down in his seat and stared at her.  
  
"This isn't you being mad at me, Rei. I've never seen you like this before. In fact, I think we should discuss-"  
  
"Hey there, buddy! So, here's your girl," an older, gray man spoke in faint recognition as he placed his hand on her companion's shoulder.  
  
"Rei, you remember Mark Tsukino? He's the CEO of my company," was the introduction.  
  
She nodded, standing to shake his hand in formality. His eyes had a sparkle of kindness in them, yet she wasn't entirely certain if she could trust him. Sure, she remembered meeting him at one of those big social galas sometime ago, but there was something else familiar about him. It was the curves of his face, and those light blue eyes.....  
  
"Miss Hino, of course! Chad here tells me that you're working at the B & B. There's a bunch of hard-working chaps there. That law firm's becoming one of the best in this city."  
  
The man paused briefly to pull a chair from the vacant table next to them. Chad scratched the beginnings of his facial hair as he smiled at Rei.  
  
"My daughter has a particular interest in that firm. She's beautiful, that girl. Anyway, she used to be involved with this one kid there. What was his name? Paul? Peter?"  
  
Rei rolled her eyes at the man's efforts at rekindling memories, and she took the time to take a sip of water from her glass. Chad's gaze seemed to now guide her into an obliging politeness, and he mouthed an apology to her.  
  
"Parker! That was his name. Jaden Parker, man extraordinaire."  
  
After a few moments, Mr. Tsukino gazed down at his white dress shirt, noticing the faint spots of water now soaked into the material. He looked to the raven-haired girl, who had a small smile of embarrassment on her face as she dabbed the moisture from her red lips.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Tsukino. I think Rei just reacted in surprise because Mr. Parker is her boss now, sir," Chad said in response to Rei's evident water-spraying accident.  
  
"Is that so?" the man asked as he wiped at his shirt with a napkin. "Well, good. Jaden's going to go places in this world. He's a very determined, promising young man. I liked him very much. He would have fought the world for my girl."  
  
Rei couldn't help but flush with red, but not because of humiliation. She was slightly panged with envy at the man's words, although she felt she had no reason to. Yet, she placed a forced smile on her face and urged him to continue.  
  
"I haven't heard very much about him lately. Maybe that's why his name was so hard to come by. Before the two of them broke off their relationship, he was competing with another young man for one of the top positions at the firm. I tell you, he was determined. Rich by his family, but he just had to make a name for himself.  
  
"Well, they broke it off, and the kid never had a chance. The position was given to a Mr. Darien Majors, who my daughter is now happily engaged to. You know, I don't think she was ever really in love with Parker. He would have fought the world for her, but it wasn't enough.  
  
"She's in love with Darien, though. It sparkles in her eyes. And that kid is the greatest." He turned his attention to Chad, who was busy staring lovingly at the beauty across from him.  
  
"I hope you've got that kind of love, Chad. I wish you the best of luck!"  
  
The man stood up and returned his chair to its origin. He was about to leave the couple, when Rei suddenly decided to inquire something of the older gentleman.  
  
"Mr. Tsukino, why exactly did you venture over here?"  
  
Chad's eyes widened at her boldness, and he gave her a chastising look.  
  
The man's eyes glanced at the ceiling in thought, and kindled another twinkle of kindness as he remembered his purpose.  
  
"I was going to invite you two to a party I'm hosting tomorrow evening. It's my daughter's engagement party. I'm sure she'll be delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Hino. She once had a best friend who had your features when she was younger. I hope to see you there!"  
  
The man seemed to skip away lightly, and Rei was surprised at how much she liked him despite his sobering information. A genuine smile broke upon on her face, the first one in the entire dining evening.  
  
Chad's face was a little somber as he stared at her. She was slipping away from him, day by day, and he had no plausible idea of what to do about it.  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
Author's Note (3-21-04):  
  
I know, I know. It's been a long while. Everything that I attempted to write was such a dumb joke, though- I couldn't bring myself to continue with it.  
  
However boring this chapter may be, there ARE some interesting developments that I was surprised with. It all fits so well- at least, so far it does.  
  
Rei and Jaden will reunite in the next chapter. I'm trying to make sense of it all, because a few readers brought me to the realization that everything was happening between them so fast and frankly, quite muddily. They've taken on a life of their own, to where THEY don't even know where they're going or what's to become of them.  
  
Well, I'm hoping that I'm posting this with the next chapter, and hopefully it's a little lighter than this one.  
  
Sorry for the long absence- hope you enjoy!  
  
-LoveeDucky  
  
I'd really like to hear from you. Please review and give some feedback! 


	13. The Longest Awaited Reunion

Title: Nasal Spray

Author: LoveeDucky

Given Rating: PG (or as the Fanfiction lords have deemed it, "K+")

Disclaimer: Same as before

* * *

Chapter 12: The Longest Awaited Reunion

* * *

Saturday Afternoon

It was…..interesting. The greens, the reds, violets and taupes, all strewn together on a small canvas. Rei tilted her head past her right shoulder, attempting to attain a different and better angle. Nope. The canvas still looked like the work of a four-year-old. 'Maybe if I stood on my head…" she jokingly contemplated in her head.

She had thought that opening the brown parcel she had found on her desk the day before would reveal a beautiful, romantic gift of some sort. Instead, she found this piece of junk.

"Gee, Rei, what have you got there?" Chad asked with a certain curiosity in his voice.

The object just seemed to glare at her like the conniving, jumbled mess it was. She was too annoyed with it to answer Chad's question.

"Rei, what's happened? I've been trying to make you happy with these surprises through the week-"

Though he placed his soft hands on her shoulder to comfort her distress, Rei would have none of it. She stood up from the seated posture she had been keeping for far too long and abruptly turned around. Her mind was too preoccupied with confusing and conflicting ideas to humor her boyfriend.

In the few moments she stood and stared at him, her mind trekked through her perception of the man who was Chad. He was handsome, though maybe not exactly her type, and he always had a welcoming smile on his face. From the moment she had met him, he had been enamored with her and had bent over backwards to please her, but he had never lost sight of his own self.

Maybe that was why she had persuaded herself to be in love with him. Though there were no sparks between them, he had always proved himself a good man with character. When she needed a shoulder to cry on, he was right there. He'd held her with all the love in his heart. God bless him, he embodied how a man should be in regards to love, and- wait a minute!

What did he just say?

"What do you mean by surprises?" she asked, masking the shock at her gullibility and stupidity.

"You've been getting gifts at work, right? I thought it'd be romantic, and you've been out of character the past few weeks, so…"

Rei's eyes widened in anger. Chad's happy smile suddenly morphed into a frightened pout, and he quickly backtracked out the front door.

"Chad!" Rei's yell could be heard throughout the neighborhood. "Chad! You come back here right now!"

Sure, she was grateful for his gesture. But it would have been out of her character not to get mad at him, and she certainly didn't want to disappoint him.

* * *

Late Saturday Evening

Yawn. That's how she could describe the atmosphere she was in. Her nose twitched at the excessive amounts of perfume, and her eyes gazed at the women that radiated the offensive smells. They were beautiful and animated, holding their wine glasses loosely while they giggled at every word unleashed from an attractive executive's mouth.

She couldn't help but laugh as one particular young lady, armed with a champagne bottle and skimpy red cocktail dress smacked onto the cold floor beneath her. It was sad. This wasn't how she imagined her engagement party.

Earlier in the day Diana had managed to confront her former paramour, Jay, and calmly give him the invite to the celebration. She lost her cool when she saw his broken countenance- the hurt laced in those cool blue eyes of his. But it was good that she told him. It was good to lift the guilty feeling off her chest.

Or at least, it was useful to suppress it for a good hour.

"Di!" she heard a familiar masculine voice call out to her. "Look what he's doing!"

Diana glanced over to where her fiancé was pointing in concern. There, between six drunken blondes, was an intoxicated Jaden Parker. She grimaced as he made a bumbling idiot of himself, shouting occasionally and subtly fondling some of the girls.

"He's going to get in so much trouble," her love Darien Majors spoke softly as he moved beside her.

"I know," was all that she had said in reply.

* * *

Across the room, another couple entered the party. It was a late arrival, and they were quite overwhelmed with the bustling of everyone around them. Voices laced with liquor aimed at them, as several bodies made their way to mingle with the new arrivals.

Rei would have none of it. She left Chad and snaked out of the crowd, took a heavy breath of relief, and searched around the room. There wasn't anyone she could imagine that she wanted to see, but she attempted to look anyway.

Her eyes gaped with amazement at what she saw.

"Oh, I've got friends in low places," Jaden Parker began to croon into a microphone on stage.

"Holy Mars. What is that idiot doing!" she shouted (to herself…or so she thought).

He suavely tossed the microphone back and forth between his hands, and fumbled to remember the next lines. The audience looked so lovely…like she had looked…in fact, they looked like a whole room full of Dianas. He gave a dopey grin as he imagined a world full of Dianas.

His trance was broken when he felt the microphone hit his head.

"What are you doing here?" Rei fiercely asked the smiling boy.

She sniffed his shirt. It reeked of tequila. No wonder he was singing such a god awful song…and enjoying it.

"Listen to me," she said, slapping his face lightly. "You're going to kill yourself drinking like this. And worse, you're going to kill me with your singing."

Tugging at his hand, she moved to leave the karaoke area. His feet seemed to be cemented to the floor. She turned around to him to see the confused look on his face. He looked as if he had just met a stranger.

"Oh…hey Rei. You know, you're really hot."

Though her face flushed with embarrassment, her fury was rising.

"You're super hot. In fact, you're even hotter in bed."

Rei's jaw dropped, and the room grew quiet. The microphone had still been in Jaden's hands as he foolishly rambled on, and each word he said mortified her.

"They say I'm a womanizer. That would mean that I sleep with any woman I can charm. But it's not true! I had to really focus to get you. And boy, did it pay off!"

Her grip on his hand had long ago loosened. Drunk or not, she couldn't believe her ears. This was an engagement party. It was a celebration. And here he stood, the prominent jerk of a man Jaden Parker, easily destroying her life in an instant.

He was down for the count before she could even blink. She looked down for a moment, disgusted with the smug grin that was still planted on his unconscious face. It made the extreme pain in her fist well worth it.

* * *

"No."

Chad was surprised at how sympathetic he was being given the fact that Rei's boss had just dropped a whopper of a bombshell. So that's where she had been that night.

"Come on, Rei. Let's go-"

She snapped her teeth at his hand, which was moving towards her shoulder. She preferred to stay right where she was. Sitting outside the hotel ballroom, smoking a cigarette.

"Goodness Rei. You don't even smoke!"

The infuriated beauty responded with an involuntary choke.

"Where did you get that, anyway? Probably from that buffoon Jade-"

"I said," Rei interrupted, throwing her outstretched hand into Chad's face. "No. I DO NOT want to talk, I DO NOT want to cry. I just WANT to sit here and not listen to anyone."

Her scowl continued to burn into the elaborately decorated wall in front of her. Chad simply shrugged, an evident frown etched onto his face, and began to pace away.

"Please come home tonight, Rei," he pleaded to her one last time.

With the silence in the hallway thick, Chad made his exit.

Moments passed quickly. Rei was relieved for the undisturbed silence, at least physiologically. Psychology, her mind kept repeating the horrible words she'd heard over half an hour before.

"Hello."

Rei did not break her stare, but her ears picked up the voice of a young woman. She pretended to not here the greeting. Maybe this person would go away.

No such luck. The woman moved beside her, and slid down the wall to join her. Out of the corner of her eye, Rei made out a blonde mass of hair. Boy, she did not have any luck with blonds.

"I'm sorry about what happened in there."

Rei's violet eyes broke the gaze to turn to the stranger beside her. She almost thought her eyes were deceiving her when she recognized Diana's face. Rei returned her stare to the wall.

"I don't feel like talking to anybody," she snapped.

Diana smiled sympathetically, and nudged the brunette's shoulder. There was something faintly familiar about this girl…..

"Then you can hear me out. I've been meaning to get some things off my chest-"

"I don't feel like listening either," Rei spat as she stood up along the wall. She tossed her cigarette into the full champagne glass beside her.

She headed for the exit, her purse clanging against her soiled dress. Someone had conveniently dropped their drink on her just shortly after her "mishap", as if the night could have gotten any better.

"Wait!" the female cried. "Rei…..I'd like to talk with you. There's some things you should know."

Despite the alarms sounding off within her head, Rei stopped dead in her tracks. She was tired as all heck physically and emotionally, but her curiosity was getting the best of her.

"Oh well," she sighed in defeat. "My spirit's already dead tonight. I guess you can't effectively beat a dead horse."

Diana smiled at Rei's acceptance, and gestured for her to follow her.

Rei fumbled down the hallway after her. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Author's Note (5-31-05):

You know what they say about writers, and how they work best when there's drama and some unhappiness in their lives? Well, I don't know if that's really a notion out there, but it seems to have applied to me.

The last time I updated any of my stories was a little over a year ago- shortly before I became involved in a love story of life's making. Yes, I'm happily in love. Isn't that just nauseating? Just kidding.

So, I'm very, very sorry for the long absence- but I'm hoping to focus more on completing this story now that summer is well started and school is out. I hope you enjoy this chapter- yeah!

Thank you to all who have kept interest in this story, and have nudged me to continue working on it. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, chastisements, please let me know! I'd love to hear from you- after all, this story is for you!

LoveeDucky


	14. Blind Intersection

Title: Nasal Spray

Author: LoveeDucky

Given Rating: A Baffling K+

Disclaimer: The characters you see in the story? I don't own any of them. Heck, I barely own the clothes that I have in my closet. 

* * *

Chapter 14: Blind Intersection

Tap. Tap. Tap. The bathroom faucet had been dripping for over an hour now.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Dark hair was matted and tossed every which way on a velvet white pillow.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Violet eyes were growing bloodshot from a surplus of air and longed to be covered by their accompanying eyelids.

Tap. Tap. Tap. That's how a young woman's heart seemed to pulse at the moment. Repetitive. Constant. No rise or fall in the speed- just simple and staccato.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

"Damnit!" Rei cried out in frustration. She shot up her bed, tangled in the white sheets, and struggled to stand up. Though she jerked wildly out of impatience and anger, the cotton bed sheets were victorious in pinning her down.

Not one to cry over bad situations, the headstrong brunette folded her arms defiantly and fell silent. The scowl painted upon her face was fierce enough that if the electrical outlet across the room were a living creature, it would run away in fright.

Millions of thoughts were passing through her mind at tremendous speeds. She wished for a control switch that she could just flicker off in her head. Her body needed sleep! It was already 2 AM on Sunday morning. It was time to sleep in.

Rei tried to clear her mind. It was no use. She'd might as well go down the corridor and grab a fresh pale of ice. Water might calm her nerves.

Her eyes surveyed the room. It was plain, which made it quite ugly. The choice of "artwork" on the walls reminded her of the awful painting she had received the day before.

After the incident at Diana Tsukino's engagement party, Rei couldn't bear to return to the house she called home. Though Chad had sincerely wished her to, she just couldn't. She couldn't bear to see anyone. She just had to spend her time alone.

A slender leg finally got free of the mess of sheets and grounded itself upon the floor. In an instant, she was up. The doorknob twisted and opened, revealing a great white hallway with the same horrible paintings decorating the walls.

"I paid quite a lot of money for this room," Rei spoke to herself. "And I get _hell_."

Her hands tightened the satin belt of her robe as she trudged down towards the ice machine. Those piercing violet eyes of hers were suffering from the intense lighting from the ceiling. The ice dropped into the bucket, and she carried it back.

Before she could enter her room, the adjacent door opened and a tall, anorexic-looking blonde walked out. The girl had an unfriendly countenance, and upon her seeing Rei, it intensified.

Rei looked back at the girl, puzzled. She couldn't recall where she had seen her, but apparently this girl knew who _she_ was.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Rei spoke haughtily. This twig was pissing her off with her mean, ugly face.

"No. Thank God," the girl spoke back, and rolled her eyes.

Rei's arms dropped to her hips, and she stood in an aggressive stance. Who did this chick think she was? She was so gaunt she didn't look like she could live and breathe, let alone control gestures on her face.

"You gave poor Jaden a concussion, you skank."

Rei was pissed. The girl was more than a few inches taller than her, but Rei knew that she could break her in half in just a moment's time. Jaden wouldn't be missing much. That jerk didn't think of anyone else but himself anyway.

"I apparently did you a favor then. If you couldn't have him when he was drunk, you certainly could surpass that barrier with him being out like a broken light bulb."

Before the bean pole could retaliate, Rei skipped into her room, a confidant grin upon her lips. If there was one good thing that had respawned from her misfortune, it was her confidence and fierce attitude. Yep. She still had it.

Surprisingly, she began to yawn. 'I guess that's what I needed to feel better,' she thought to herself.

"Nothin' better than insulting a self-righteous thin line of a girl," she said with a laugh.

Her eyes roamed over to her spacious queen bed. It looked so glorious now- from the firm, comfortable mattress, warm bed sheets…sleep was eminent, that was for sure. She could feel the tug on her eyelids already.

The bucket of ice was still in her hand, she realized. If she just dumped it somewhere or left it sitting, it would be a waste. But what could she do with it? She smirked. She was feeling mischievous and…vengeful.

The wannabe "Twiggy" had a cigarette pack in her hand, Rei remembered. They were currently on the 5th floor, and smoking was not allowed on any of the floors. She would be gone for a good 15 minutes, according to Rei's estimation.

The glowing expression on her face fell. How was she to know if Jaden was in the next room? There were no visible signs. Except…

The blonde girl had been wearing an extravagant hot pink robe with hot pink fluff. Her expression had been smug, as if she had attained something that Rei could not have. The remnants of lust seemed to sting in the girl's eyes. But these were just hunches.

Suddenly there was a small, smooth rumbling. Water pipes! The rumbling seemed to originate from the next room. Someone was showering.

The door piecing the two rooms together seemed very appealing. Rei couldn't help but gaze at it, and imagined twisting the knob and slowly nudging the door ajar…

Before she knew it, her actions had mimicked her thoughts. She now had a small view of the room next to her. Low and behold, there was a man's dress shirt on the bed. It was the same shirt that Rei noticed Jaden wearing earlier last evening, and the same that was covered in the smell of alcohol.

She pushed the door further. No Pink Bimbo to be found.

"Ha…I never knew that this could be so exciting," she whispered to herself.

Two feet tiptoed across the carpet to the bed. Rei had to fight herself to stifle a laugh as she raised the sheet covers, tossed the ice evenly across the bed, and assembled the sheets the way she had found them.

As she shut the door behind her, she ran to grab a plastic cup from the dresser drawers, poked a hole in it with the complimentary hotel pen on her nightstand, and pressed it against the hearty wood, eager to eavesdrop on her neighbors.

She heard the front door open and shut, and the milky voice of the Pink Bimbo awkwardly rise into an awful recreation of the Phantom of the Opera.

"I hope she doesn't think that she sounds _good_, or that her idiot friend will enjoy that pitchy serenade," Rei criticized with a snicker.

Her ear seemed to stretch outward as she heard the male figure emerge from the bathroom and the dialogue between the two began.

"But, how can you be leaving so soon?" she heard Pinky whimper. She could just see her making some stupid puppy dog sad face.

'It won't work,' Rei hummed in her mind. 'Offer him sex. Please offer him sex!'

"I just…you're a nice girl, Marcy, but I have to get going. I really appreciate your hospitality. I really do."

No! The bastard was just going to get up and go? She couldn't have any solace and satisfaction in her prank if he just left!

"Oh, but Jaden," the female voice was softer now.

'Poor attempt at seduction.' Rei felt a small pain in her ear, but she resiliently pressed it hard to the cup.

"Forget about her- for just one night at least," Pinky cooed.

'Bimbo.'

Rei heard Jaden sigh, as if he was really debating over the idea. She guffawed at that. He was really good at playing his mind games.

"Come on, Jaden. I'll make you feel better."

'Oh, that was lame! I've heard better lines in cheesy porn films.' Rei stopped her thoughts. It wasn't like she watched porn or anything. She was simply raised in an environment where the male figures in her life were…fixated…on human mating rituals. Why was she thinking about porn?

Her mind had escaped the situation in the other room long enough to miss Jaden's response. Maybe he had left already, and she hadn't heard the door shut. Or maybe they were in the middle of some twisted…eww. She didn't want to think about that.

Sulking over her defeat (in playing pranks, of course), she moseyed on over to her bed. Tossing the plastic cup in the trash can beside her nightstand, she settled into her covers. She lay on her back, her eyes focused on the ceiling.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

It was as if she hadn't left her bed.

Until she heard the startled, loud shrieks of the two occupants in the next room.

With a big smile, Rei's violet eyes finally saw rest. She fell soundly asleep to the euphoric rhythm of the leaky bathroom faucet and noisy neighbors (screaming some nonsense about ice cubes in their bed) with a smile that would not leave her lips for the rest of the night.

* * *

She hoped that she could catch her. Rei had left in such a frustrated hurry that Diana didn't even have a chance to offer the proof she had. The poor girl was without blame, however, after such a trying night.

The anxiety was beginning to get to her. Diana craned her neck to look towards the lobby elevators. The brunette girl was not there. Not yet.

"I hope she didn't leave earlier than expected," she said with a nervous smile.

Many of the guests that emerged from the elevator had attended the party the night before. Diana threw acknowledging nods towards all such people, her eyes darting back and forth between her acquaintances and the elevator doors.

The picture she clutched in her hand was old and tattered. The edges were slightly eroded, and the quality of the picture overall was mediocre at best. The color had faded so dramatically, in fact, that it was remarkable that the two figures painted within it had stayed so vivid.

Rei _had_ to see this. Diana would make sure of it.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a familiar blonde figure stroll through the hotel lobby and into the elevator. Blue eyes widened, and all her mind could wish for was an intervention.

The door clicked shut, and the slim hand that gripped the doorknob released its hold. With a mischievous smirk, the brunette girl couldn't help but recount the reason for her somewhat peaceful sleep.

"Rei!"

She turned around, fully recognizing the voice but unaware of how to react. Mina stood before her, dressed in yellow and orange heart pajamas, with a surprised expression on her face. Rei settled for the assumption that Mina was in the dark over the events of the night before.

"What are you doing here?" Mina asked as she munched on her granola bar.

Rei gave her an uneasy smile. 'How do I explain this? Jaden will just retaliate everything I say.'

"Well, Chad and I were invited to an engagement party last night."

Ok. So her alibi for the night before was established. But her actions were far from being out in the open.

"Oh."

Mina looked over to the door Rei stood before. She took another bite of her granola, her countenance unchanged.

"So, is my cousin in there?"

The violet-eyed beauty coughed in disgust. Like she would give Jaden Parker another chance, or another night. She shook her head in reply.

"Nope. Haven't seen him."

She brushed passed the thin blonde and began to walk down the hallway. Puzzled by her friend's actions, Mina followed suit.

"Jaden's not in there? Is Chad then?"

Rei shook her head once again.

The bubbly blonde in the pj's could not take any more of Rei's secrecy. Why wasn't the nasal spray lobbyist talking to her?

"Rei. What happened? Can you talk to me, please?"

The violet storms within Rei's eyes calmed dramatically. Mina was her friend- and despite the relationship she had to Jaden, the circumstances didn't change that. She turned her head and beamed a smile to the blonde.

"I will, Mina. There's just some things I have to deal with first."

And with that said, she was in the elevator and gone from Mina's sight. With the quizzical look still plastered on her face, Mina sauntered back over to the room Rei had emerged from.

"Well, that's not the right room number," she reasoned, turning to the next door.

518. That's the number Jaden had given her, right? She glanced down at the scribbled Post-It she had written on earlier in the morning. Yum. This granola bar was good.

She knocked on the door, which she noticed was marked "Do Not Disturb". In a moment her fully dressed cousin emerged, taking care to be extra quiet. He gestured for her to be silent, and carefully closed the door.

Once they were in the privacy of the hotel corridor, Mina asked the inevitable question.

"What happened between you and Rei?"

Millions of blurred images began swirling in Jaden's head. His headache and slight nausea almost returned full-fledge to claim his body. A slight twinge of pain jolted through his forehead. His hand moved to console it.

"Rei? I don't remember seeing Rei…why?"

Mina gave her male companion a good look in the face to see if he was pulling her leg or lying to her. She just wanted to know what happened! She didn't need to play detective.

"Well, for starters dummy, the brunette vixen left the room adjacent to yours just moments ago. She apparently was all alone. And, by the way, she didn't look happy either."

Jaden racked her brain to remember if he had even seen Rei. He had seen…her…and had been driven so mad by it that he chased his thoughts with that powerful elixir—liquor.

The pair entered the elevator, and set the destination for the lobby. Jaden's mind suddenly recalled a thought. If Rei was in the adjacent room, then she must have known he was with another woman! Hence the icy cold awakening he and his companion had encountered.

"I really don't remember seeing her. Why was she here anyway?"

The elevator came to a halt. The doors abruptly opened. In plain view, several feet from their current position was the beautiful Rei Hino. She was not alone.

* * *

The picture she held was much frayed. The edges were worn into smooth white corners. The color was almost completely non-existent. Yet, there was a very youthful, toothy Rei Hino, wide violet eyes brimming with joy. Next to her was a little blonde girl with big, innocent crystal blue eyes, and a funny shaped hairstyle.

Rei giggled. Meatball head.

"It seems strange, doesn't it?" Diana spoke softly across the table.

The brunette shrugged in playful defiance. Staring at the picture, which years ago had captured a piece of her soul, seemed to open another facet of her personality. She looked up at the girl across from her.

Diana "Usagi" Tsukino had been her next door neighbor when Rei had lived at her father's residence. Those were the days where life seemed to be carefree, and everyone was happy. When her mother had passed on and Rei stubbornly defied her normally absent father time and time again, she was sent away to her grandfather's Shinto shrine.

The girl across from her appeared to have the same gleam in her eyes. Rei couldn't help but smile.

"Sometimes life throws funny instances in our lives. Mother Nature, on the other hand, tends to throw me dirt."

The two laughed so freely, and an unmentioned friendship lay in the air. Though the years had separated them, it felt as though they'd known each other for so long—perhaps in another lifetime.

"So, where does Jay- er, Mr. Parker…play in all this?" Rei inquired.

Diana nodded. She knew that the free-spirit in front of her would want further explanation.

"I loved Jaden in my own way. He was so good to me, and I know he loved me with all of his being.

"But, the two of us weren't compatible in other ways. I never really returned his love, though I certainly appreciated it. Besides, there was someone else he loved deeper than he loved me."

Rei was interested, and in a great sense, a little jealous. She attempted to dismiss the twinge in her heart, but to no avail. It would just have to bother her for a little while longer.

When Diana paused her story, Rei begged her to go on.

"It was as if he loved her in his subconscious. He mumbled her name in his sleep, and would sometimes slip when he would talk to me. He insisted that he never knew her, and I believe him. He didn't know her…_yet._"

The blonde girl with the meatball hairstyle took a sip of her chamomile tea. She then gazed into her companion's eyes, as if searching her spirit, and asked her quietly,

"Do you believe in fate?"

Rei was taken by surprise. She hadn't really pondered that question in her life. She had always simply accepted life and saw it practically. Sure, she'd overreact sometimes, but she tried to not exceed reality. Blind optimism and hope was a little more than she could muster.

"See…I do. And I knew fate would break us apart, and bring us to who we belonged with." Diana couldn't help but beam with joy as she reflected on her fiancé.

The picture was passed between Rei's hands. She glanced into it, caught up in the imagery of so long ago. She couldn't quite piece together all that Diana was attempting to say.

"That picture," Diana started, glancing at the old photo, "was always with me. It was in one of my very best picture frames."

Rei nodded; entranced by the endless happiness she had once felt as a child. When she was loved and guided by her parents, and constantly in the presence of her childhood friend.

"Jay…as I called him affectionately…could never tear his eyes away from that picture. We could sit and talk for hours, but his eyes would always wander from me to that picture."

As if in attempt to cue Diana's logic, Rei looked clueless. She didn't see how any of this correlated with each other.

"He was enamored with the violet-eyed little girl. It was as if he knew her from long ago."

Shaking her head softly, Rei protested. She laughed. That couldn't be right- maybe Diana was simply mistaken. How could he be enamored with a picture? Especially one of her, when he hadn't known her yet?

"There was one time, when he thought that I was in another room, he began to speak to himself of the girl in the picture. He spoke of how he envisioned her as a young woman. He spoke of her seeming familiar to him, and very beautiful."

Diana stifled a gentle giggle as she observed the girl before her. Rei was quiet, wide-eyed and baffled at what she was hearing. She carried with her an element that Diana could only account as something she had noticed years before.

"Even if he's not right now, Jaden Parker is very much in love with you, Rei Hino. He was destined to be."

* * *

Author's Note (6-6-05):

Whoa! What a week! Well, I'm in a little pain today. Not good. But story writing very good!

I'm very excited about this chapter- 1) because it's semi-long and 2) it was super fun to write. I never thought our little Rei would be one to take revenge, even if it is playful. Frustration can open us up to some fun options sometimes.

Well, Wed-nes-day is my official last day of school. That means that I have all summer to finish this story up! But it's seeming like it'll be a little longer than I expected. For one, I didn't think that Diana and Rei would be friends, but hey. Sometimes these things are surprising.

Anyway, I'd like to thank the readers. Thank you teelilies, you are always very optimistic and encouraging! And everyone, thank you for voicing your opinion. It's great encouragement to get such great criticism and support from my peers.

Now that I've updated a bit, let's pester Minh Minh! I've been anticipating a new chapter to The Winning Losers.

As always, Happy Reading! Have a great week!

LoveeDucky


	15. Gypsy

Title: Nasal Spray

Author: LoveeDucky

Given Rating: K+

Disclaimer: The characters in this story do not belong to me. The lyrics used on this page belong to Fleetwood Mac, and not to me.

* * *

Chapter Landslide 15: Gypsy_

* * *

She was just a wish…and her memory is all that is left for you now…_

_You see your gypsy._

The elevator shook with a slight hesitance as it embarked upon its journey upward. The occupants within it stood stiff and still, their minds occupied with the business of the day. One occupant, a slim, brunette woman with enchanting violet eyes, took in deep breaths to prepare her for what she was about to do. Red heels tapped onto the floor as the elevator continued to whirl above floor after floor.

Her eyes glanced upon each person in her presence. The businessman with his perfect black suit, clutching the matching black briefcase to his side. The secretary, holding an organized clipboard to her chest, a ballpoint pin setting loosely above her ear. The mail distributor, his face etched with boredom and discontent as his eyes focused upon the floor indicator by the door.

Rei Hino noted the silent agendas each person held. Life, as it seemed for the B&B, was composed of daily schedules. Each meeting _had _to go through. Each client _had _to be seen, and success had to finish each working day. Surprises and silliness were not allowed in the business world.

A familiar song began to play on the elevator stereo. The serious, solemn expression that had stuck on her face quickly melted away, replaced by a humored smirk. She had never liked this song, or Sting for that matter, better than she liked them at this moment.

Unlike the people around her who thrived on structure, Rei's experience at the B&B had been anything but business as usual. It had been comprised of mistaken meanings, goofy gifts, and love achieved and lost, all within a small amount of time. Despite the chaos and confusion that had been inflicted upon Rei and her closest companions, she finally accepted the beauty that Mother Nature "threw" her way. Never a dull moment, she thought to herself. It was all going to come to an end, but she was satisfied and amused at all she had encountered.

She braced herself as the elevator slowed to a halt. The doors slid open, and the lovely aroma of fresh coffee surrounded Rei's consciousness. With a deep breath, Rei stepped forward onto the solid ground of the 15th floor.

"Good morning, Miss Hino!" an enthusiastic voice spoke to Rei.

She smiled at the beautiful blonde girl who had welcomed her. The friendship that Rei had found with Mina was something that she cherished, and something that would flourish over time.

"Good morning, Mina."

Rei began her brisk walk to her office, and Mina followed suit. The two women walked in comfortable silence, synchronized in their pace, and finally reached the computer desk in front of Jaden Parker's office. Rei's eyes scanned the sight, her heart fluttering with nervousness.

"Are you sure that this is the right thing, Rei? I mean, it all seems so sudden."

All at once, Rei's soul felt at peace. 'Sudden. That's all this has ever been,' she thought to herself. She mustered the courage within herself, knowing that everything in the universe was right for this one moment.

"It's the right thing, Mina. I'm sure of it."

With a confidant smile, Rei opened the door of her boss's office, and disappeared. Mina kept her attention at the door for one more second, understanding finally coming to her mind.

* * *

"Rei."

Jaden Parker sat at his desk, his back erect with uneasiness, as his eyes took in the sight of his brunette secretary. His heart ached for her as his mind reviewed his reckless behavior the night before. No longer was Diana a lingering thought within his mind and heart. She had been replaced by the woman standing before him. The woman he had been enraptured by. The woman he had achieved, and lost with one swoop of his fatalistic personality. He always destroyed the things that he loved. It never failed.

"Mr. Parker," she retorted, attempting a faint smile.

He started to stand up, but Rei gestured at him to remain seated. Her heart was beating so fast, making her aware of her conflicting emotions. She didn't understand why fate had placed her with this man who was so oblivious to his own existence. He was living in pursuit of something that he would never be; a pretender, convinced of his own wild-eyed ideas and beliefs.

"This will be my last day, Mr. Parker. I've already turned in my formal resignation."

A knife of emotion stabbed Jaden in the heart. He knew that he was the cause of all this chaos and pain.

"Does this mean…"

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Parker. I think that it's for the best."

Jaden's eyes fell to the desk below him. Words escaped him. This situation, though normally so routine within his business, meant more than just the obvious implication. Rei was doing more than just quitting her job.

Rei waited with an emotional impatience. Was this it? Was this all she was to expect from him? She faked a smile, her heart twisting with disappointment, and nodded in acceptance. She began her journey out of Jaden Parker's office, and out of his life.

"Rei," she heard him say.

She turned around softly, her violet eyes sparkling with light dew. He just sat there, looking at her, unable to move. 'So this is your true self, Jaden,' her thoughts spoke in her mind. 'Everything that truly belongs to you, you just shrug away with defeat.'

With another nod, Rei turned back around and walked out of his office. She left behind her sweet scent of lavender and body soap, and Jaden lost himself in the memories of what had been.

* * *

"So, will you?" an eager voice asked.

Diana Tsukino and her newfound friend, Rei, were perusing the stands of the local farmers' market. Tons of golden apples, bright and juicy strawberries, and other delectable foods adorned the various farmers' areas, and Rei was finding herself very hungry.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess so," she joked with a smile.

Diana lightly punched Rei's arm. She then snatched up a fuzzy peach, and handed a few dollars to the farmer as she placed the peaches into a plastic bag.

"Do you think that Mina would like to be apart of the wedding? We were good friends, until…well, the whole world turned on me. I do miss her."

Rei shrugged in response, her eyes set upon the ensemble of red raspberries in front of her.

"I really don't know. She understood everything that I talked with her about last night, but I really don't know. She had seen you and me together at the hotel, and she didn't seem to mind. She just had a few questions."

"But would she be interested in rekindling a friendship?" Diana asked with hopefulness.

Rei paid the farmer for her chosen batch of raspberries, and stepped out onto the busy sidewalk of the city. Her gaze traveled to the tall building of the B&B. What a rollercoaster she had boarded.

"You would have to talk that one over with Mina. I don't think she'll be closed off to the idea, though."

She watched as a tall, blond young man emerged from the rotating glass doors, bundled in his suit jacket with his black cell phone to his ear. Her heart struggled with the finality of the day, as he seemed to be just as casual as the other businessmen who surrounded him.

"How did it go, by the way?" Rei's friend asked with concern as she lightly placed her hand upon Rei's shoulder.

"As good as it was intended to, I suppose," Rei said with an evident sadness.

"And Chad?"

The brunette exhaled a sigh. "He's perfect, of course. I walked in last night and he just pulled me into an embrace. He held me so tightly, and…I just started crying."

She paused and looped her arm with Diana's as the pair walked down the street. People swarmed past them, each one unique and individual. A homeless man holding a cardboard plea for help looked at them sorrowfully, his skin stained with dirt and filth. Rei stopped in front of him, staring into his wide eyes with a sadness of her own.

"Would you like to accompany us to dinner?" she asked, and the man hesitated.

Diana looked at her friend quizzically, but understood Rei's intentions. "We would be honored to have your company. You can come as you are, or we can provide you with a warm shower and new clothes."

The man started to speak, and his voice was impaired with a stutter. But to Rei, it was the warm sincerity in his voice that made her open her heart to him.

"Yeah," he said with a wide smile. "Thanks."

* * *

The trio exchanged smiles and laughter around their dining table, enjoying the tastes of their meals and the experiences of one another.

"It sounds like you've had a fascinating life, Will," Diana commented.

The man, now clothed with a clean gray sweater and denim pants, smiled with enthusiasm. He had shared stories of joy, excitement, pain, and suffering with his two new friends. His heart was grateful for their hospitality and companionship.

"What about my two lovely ladies, here?" Will inquired, nodding as the waitress at his side refilled his glass with water. "Any adventures?"

"I'm afraid so," Rei spoke with amusement. "They're too ridiculous to even begin to talk about."

Diana suddenly shifted in her seat, as she noticed a familiar person being seated at a nearby table. She signaled to Rei, and the brunette turned to see the face beside her.

Jaden Parker, seated with a busty red-head, was busy searching the unfolded menu before his eyes. Shaking her head, Rei returned her attention to her friends.

"Yes. They are just too ridiculous."

* * *

Jaden could not help but scold himself mentally for this new predicament. There she was, the lovely Rei Hino, sitting just a few tables alongside him, and here he was entertaining his scantily clad colleague, Julia.

His heart has leaped with hope as he felt Rei's violet stare upon him. She had walked out on him today, with good reason, but could he still have a chance? He wasn't sure if he deserved, or even wanted, another opportunity with the witty brunette. Given his history, he would only mess up everything and end up with a broken heart.

He angrily observed her companionship with his other former love, Diana. When did they suddenly become chummy? And who was this new man with them, who seemed to have his intentions on Rei?

The waiter assigned to his table stood beside him, waiting for the food orders. Julia's milky voice chimed with a desire for eggplant parmesan, and she lightly settled her hand upon his. Jaden stirred out of his slightly jealous reverie, and ordered his usual lasagna dish. His female companion scooted her chair nearer to him, leaning her head closer to Jaden's face.

"Jaden, dear. You seem preoccupied with something."

Jaden smirked uneasily, his thoughts battering his mind with chastisements of his treatment of Rei, as well as his apparent cowardly personality.

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking over the McNeil meeting tomorrow."

Rei wasn't his, he reminded himself. The strange ordeal they had experienced in their short weeks of acquaintance happened by chance, and had ended with her resignation. He had treated her awfully, humiliating her, and now he expected her to easily forgive him? Their mock love had been just a fleeting attraction between two persons who were never meant to be.

At least, his mind thought so. His heart was a whole other entity, and it was telling him a different story.

The gentle memory of young violet-eyed girl attracted his attention for a second, and he brushed it away just as quickly. He had been unlucky in love once before, after giving his heart and soul to a woman. He wasn't going to let illusions of fate and serendipity seduce his mind.

Still, she did look absolutely gorgeous. Did she hate him? Did she want him?

Jaden felt the soft voice of Julia tickle his ear. Her arms were loosely snaked around his shoulders, and he shuddered. How could he let Rei get away so easily?

* * *

Rei watched with disgust as the woman next to Jaden touched him with such ease and comfort.

"Destiny. Diana, there is no such thing as destiny," she said lightly, sticking her fork into the strong broccoli stalk on her plate.

"Ignore them, Rei. Jaden's clearly uncomfortable with the situation," Diana said encouragingly.

Will observed the scene around him, confused at the conversation between his two lady friends.

"Is there something going on?" he asked with concern, placing his hand upon Rei's.

"Not really-" Rei started to reply, but she stopped when she heard a woman gasp with surprise.

Looking over to Jaden's table, she saw the young snake of a woman staring, with her mouth agape, in disbelief. Jaden, however, was not seated at his table. He was now standing between Rei and Will's seats, his blue eyes focused upon the brunette woman.

"Jaden," she said uncomfortably, noticing the small beads of perspiration on his forehead.

"Rei," he retorted.

Jaden was blazing with jealousy and confusion over his own actions. He was normally cool, collected, and suave in manner. His heart was fueling his passion for the beautiful Rei. He could almost reach out his hand and touch the strands of her dark hair. A strong arm moved in answer to his thoughts, wanting to feel the smoothness of her soft head…

And all of a sudden, a soft breeze blew in from outside the restaurant, startling his senses.

'She's lost to me,' Jaden thought to himself dejectedly, his posture rigid. He pulled his arm away, took a few steps backward, and returned to his table in silence.

Rei, Diana, and Will exchanged looks of confusion. Rei, most of all, was thinking of a million possible interpretations of Jaden's actions, but could settle on none of them.

_To the gypsy that remains..._

The air was thick with muddled emotions.

* * *

Author's Note (6-13-2006):

To all the readers who have been encouraging me to continue with this story: thank you! This has been a long awaited chapter, I know. I've grown up a little through the creation of this story, and it is fascinating. Thank you to the readers who have stuck it out through my lack-of-updates. Your support is greatly appreciated.

The story is (finally) almost over. And don't worry- it will have a happy ending.

Happy reading!

- Loveeducky


	16. When Chaos Met Order

Title: Nasal Spray

Author: LoveeDucky

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: The characters in the story do not belong to me.

~ ~ ~ Chapter 16 – When Chaos Met Order…

The night was cold and dark. The simple red stoplight pulsed quickly, rhythmically, to the beat of Rei Hino's heart. Her eyes, once vivid with a violet sheen, were dotted with tear remnants. Her throat was dry from the deep actions of sobbing. Her stomach flipped about like a fish on land, desperate and starving for water. Nothing in her body felt right.

Here she sat, in the firm seat of her '67 Ford Mustang, alone with her thoughts and the blinking red stoplight. Multiple thoughts raced in her head. What was she doing out on the street at night? Why did she feel so odd physically? Her last thought, of course, centered around only one man: Jaden Parker.

"Who was that girl he was with?" she asked herself, and her voice carried her question into the air.

She turned her head to the side. In her vision, illuminated by the piercing bright moonlight, was the B & B building. Her eyes struggled to focus behind her tears. She cursed her emotions. She had never cried this much in her entire life.

A new determination arose within her. The emergency brake jolted in place as the engine shut down. Rei's body shot up from her seat. With a quick hop over the car door, she was off and running into the building that hosted so many odd events in her life.

She stood in front of the infamous service elevators, a small smirk gracing her determined face. She decided against the elevator in one second, as it wouldn't be fast enough and she had so much energy bouncing around in her body.

The pounding of feet against stairs resounded in the shallow staircase hallway. Tonight was a brilliant night for Rei to have chosen ballet flats as footwear. She slowly paced her breath with her steps as she traveled from floor to floor. Her speed seemed to increase as she drew nearer to her desired destination.

The stairway door thrust open with little effort on Rei's part. Her eyes glanced around the many cubicles and electronic equipment. The office she sought was in front of her, and seemed to be enraptured by a sea-green sparkly mist. The appearance and oddly enough, the smell of the mist, pumped through her senses. She breathed in the most incredible salty ocean aroma, and the feeling of love overwhelmed her gut as she remembered her first romantic interlude with Jaden in Malibu. Her stomach flipped more furiously with this familiar emotion. Love—in its most ridiculously cruel form—captured her now.

Without any conscious thought, Rei glided across the floor to Jaden's office door. Her feet literally did not touch the floor, or so she realized when she looked down. Her smirk widened into a bright smile as the door creaked open…

Sitting atop Jaden's desk, in a low-cut vivid red dress, was the beautiful red-head who accompanied Jaden to dinner recently. She stared at Rei with wide eyes the color of freshly cut grass, and gestured to the man standing behind her. Her lips parted slightly and her tongue circled them seductively as she turned her gaze to Jaden Parker. He looked just as devilish, with tousled hair and his dress shirt wrinkled and untucked.

His wanton stare seemed to consume the red-head, and Rei's heart dropped sharply from her chest to her stomach. It appeared that her love was now unrequited. Did she wait too long? Was her pride to blame? Or, was there still an opportunity with her former boss?

At last, all hope dissipated from Rei's soul as she heard the woman in front of her declare those three simple words Rei had hoped to speak.

*thump*

Rei's heart pounded, and happiness removed itself from her presence.

Jaden returned the woman's utterance with a full passionate kiss. Then, for a long moment, his gaze turned to Rei. Seduction, love, and joy were not feelings expressed in his countenance. Instead, resentment and indifference took shelter in his handsome features.

*thump*

"I love you, Julia," Jaden said.

*thump*

Rei's heart kept pounding. She was heartbroken, but her anger was aggressively rising. Her soft hands folded into fists. Her smile, which had disappeared from the moment she eyed Julia, was replaced with tight lips and a clenched jaw.

The room immediately burst into red and gold flames, surrounding Jaden and his red-headed vixen. Oddly, they didn't seem alarmed, and neither did Rei.

She could only help but to look into the blue eyes of the man she loved. Even amidst flames, he was breathtakingly handsome.

Rei's eyes, focused and unwavering on red flames from a roaring fireplace, finally blinked. She had awakened from a dream, and she tried to shake the last thoughts of it out of her head.

"You've been staring at that fire for about five minutes now," Mina said.

Rei turned her gaze to the friends who surrounded her. Diana, dressed in flannel pajamas adorned with little white bunnies, smiled as she took in a gulp of liquid from her coffee mug. The smell of the substance gave away its identity: it was steaming, delicious hot chocolate. Mina, who had addressed Rei earlier, handed her a large red cup of the same.

"We took the liberty of making some hot cocoa," she said. "Nothing like a wild and crazy bachelorette party, right?"

Rei nodded with a smirk and pressed the mug to her lips. The steam from the hot chocolate caused a few beads of sweat to form in the corner of her eyes, but they were not the first drops of moisture for the evening. Her dream had evoked strong emotions. Her eyes had been welling with tears.

Tonight, though, was not a night of lament. Tonight was a great celebration of many different things. The most obvious occasion was Diana's wedding, which would take place the following afternoon. The three young women had ventured up to a mountain cabin to hold a bachelorette party. Unlike common bachelorette party stereotypes, however, this one did not have male strippers or tons of alcohol.

In stark contrast, the girls had brought hot chocolate, comfortable jammies and fuzzy slippers, and warm blankets. They fully intended to rein in Diana's joyous occasion in the spirit of friendship. This was the second event that the night was commemorating. This was the first night in a long while that Mina and Diana enjoyed as friends. They had been fast friends during Jaden and Diana's courtship, but the friends' connection dissolved just as the couple's had.

As Mina and Diana giggled over some story they shared, Diana turned her attention to her brunette friend. She reached out her hand and touched her shoulder tenderly.

"You look a little upset, Rei. Did you see something in the fire?"

Rei raised her eyebrows at Diana's question, unsure of what to say. Her heart still palpitated ferociously as she thought over the dream and her apparent feelings for Jaden. Two weeks had passed since she ran across him in the restaurant with the red-head, and she thought her silly affection would die down. Time, as it seemed, only seemed to increase her feelings.

She hated it, but almost every empty moment swayed her thoughts towards the blond buffoon. Her ITunes playlist had been rigorously redone, as every love ballad made her heart skip a beat and her cheeks flush red with desire. Even her bookshelf wasn't kind to her fractured heart. She couldn't pass by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice without imagining a lovely argument with Jaden Parker.

"It's nothing, Diana," Rei lied. "I'm just enchanted by fire. It's my favorite thing in the world."

That wasn't a fib. Rei had always been entranced with fire and flame. The heat, vivid color, and swift movement seemed to cast her into another world.

"Well, anyway," Diana began, "I hope it's not related to that accident that you had. Are you sure that you're feeling ok?"

This comment transported Rei into a mental flashback:

The afternoon was pleasant enough. The sun hid behind gray clouds in the mountains. Rei stood atop one of the ski bunny hills, adjusting her ski goggles to make the skin under her eyes more comfortable. She bent her knees, ready to slide down the hill. She took a breath in, anticipating the rapid movement under her feet.

Suddenly, she heard a loud "Whoop!" nearby. This startled her, and caused her to take off prematurely. As she slid down the hill, her inexperience and fright got the best of her. She quickly threw her ski posts forward, hoping to stop her progress. Instead, this movement threw her balance off.

She careened into a nearby skier, who raised their ski post soon enough before the accident to whack Rei's face. The resultant event was the birth of a bruised eye, colored with a purple and blue hue that would be very hard to erase with make-up. Diana's hired make-up artist would surely have his hands full with the Maid of Honor.

Presently, in the warm cabin, Rei shared a smile with her friends.

"I'm doing fine, thank you," she retorted with a light laugh.

The girls continued talking that night until they grew too tired to talk. Before their eyes had shut to have restful sleep, Rei, the faithful Maid of Honor, double-checked the alarm clock. They all had a very busy day ahead of them.

She fell asleep remembering the piercing cerulean eyes of the man she loved.

"Where is my bouquet?" Diana asked with slight panic in her voice.

"It's in the refrigerator, with the rest of the flowers," Rei answered with a confident smile. "Relax. Everything will go beautifully."

She quickly pulled her friend into a tight hug, hoping to reassure the bride. All three women, Diana, Mina, and Rei, had finished with make-up and hairstyling at Diana's apartment. They had traveled to the ceremony site, accompanied by Diana's jovial, tear-stricken mother, with every needed item and sufficient bridal emergency supplies. They were now in the bridal room, minus Mina, who was outside waiting for word on when to prepare the bride for the processional program.

"We brought the marriage license, right? We can't get married without it."

"It's already been delivered to the officiator. He signed it, and had me and Kevin (Darien's best man) sign as your witnesses. Everything is set."

After taking a deep breath for relaxation, Diana slipped into her wedding gown and Rei helped her zip up. Instantly, her worries appeared to melt away. She looked radiant. Her beautiful blonde hair hung in loose ringlets. The white material of her dress made her look almost ethereal.

Diana smiled brightly at her reflection, satisfied with her bridal transformation. Her gaze met Rei's in the mirror, and Rei nodded in approval. Diana's mother lovingly set the veil in Diana's hair, and gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead before she left to take her place in the processional.

"I'm so glad that you and I are friends," Diana confessed. "I didn't think it would happen, but I'm glad that we are."

Rei nodded her head in proud response. "I'm glad too," she said.

Mina peeked her head in from outside. "We're ready for you," she said enthusiastically.

Diana turned towards the door to leave. Before opening the door she turned back to Rei, who was following behind her, and said, "Here goes nothing!"

It took a few moments for everyone involved in the processional program to be ready. One of the two flower girls had wandered over to her mother in the church pews and had forgotten where she had placed her basket of flowers. Diana's mother couldn't stop crying or adjusting her husband's tie and boutonniere, which she had attended to for over ten minutes. Finally, Rei had almost forgotten to pull the flowers out of the refrigerator, even after assuring her good friend that everything was going all right.

When all the nervous hustle and bustle calmed down, the cue music played. Rei giggled as the flower girls walked down the red aisle first. They walked hand in hand, and one girl dumped her entire basket of pebbles in one place. Mina followed with the appropriate slow pace. It was then Rei's turn to enter the church aisle as Diana's chosen Maid of Honor.

She walked the classic bridesmaid way, her bouquet held carefully at her waist and her feet joining together after every other step. She smiled at those who glanced at her. Chad had a very happy countenance upon seeing her. Her stomach grew into nervous, ambivalent knots at his stare. He was such a good man, and she knew that he deserved a good companion.

Her gaze turned to her new friend Will, who had been hungry and homeless on a street corner not too long ago. B & B had offered him a full-time position at the firm after discovering that he did have considerable work experience. He now had enough money to live comfortably. This made Rei very happy.

She had almost gotten to the front of the church to take her place in front of Mina, when a clean-shaven, very handsome Jaden Parker turned to look at her. She struggled to find the most appropriate way to react to his stare. She was sure that she had a confused look on her face for the audience to see. In a moment he gave her a small, satisfied grin. She couldn't help but return his friendly expression with one of her own. Rei found her place by Mina and continued smiling.

When Diana made her way into the chapel, all eyes turned to meet her. Jaden, however, remained staring at Rei inquisitively. She succeeded in avoiding his gaze for the majority of the time, but indulged in a few looks at him throughout Diana's procession and the rest of the ceremony.

At one moment, when the officiator was speaking of soulmates, she unconsciously glanced over at him. She noticed that his eyes were focused on her, and her mind wandered.

Diana once told her that despite everything wrong that seemed to happen, she and Jaden were soulmates. She wondered if this were true.

It wasn't until later that evening, at Darien and Diana's reception, that she started believing those words.

She was chosen, of course, to give a toast in honor of the newlyweds. There, to a captive audience, she talked of her first memories of Diana, Diana's love for Darien, and the special bond they shared. She concluded her speech this way:

"These two share a love that is unbreakable, and ever-growing. Together, they will conquer the tempest-tossed sea of life and changing love. Love…it throws all of us humans. It brings out both the best and the worst in us. And, most importantly, it gives us faith and hope in its truth. The love between Darien and Diana dares the real love in us to take flight. Here's to the happy couple. May we all be as fortunate as you."

And with that, she initiated a toast, and everyone in participation raised their glasses to Darien and Diana. As she pressed the glass to her open lips, she caught Jaden's eyes. Suddenly, she felt she could read him- as if his soul was wide open. His eyes told of sadness and curiosity. Rei stopped toasting when she saw the red-head, dressed in a distasteful short dress, clutch his arm.

She passed him on several occasions that night, and each passing resulted in long gazes. All her dances went to Chad, though Jaden attempted to approach her during the slow songs. She watched him over Chad's shoulder, and instantly felt ashamed for treating her boyfriend in such a way.

One time during dancing, they actually came upon one another without their respective dates. They managed to say a few cordial words, commenting on the lovely ceremony and reception. After those moments, they returned to their stolen glances and wordless conversations.

Later that evening, when many people had retired for their hotel rooms and beds for sleep, Rei walked through the asphalt parking lot to her car. The walk wasn't far from the banquet hall, though the lot was masked in almost total darkness. The light from the banquet hall shone just enough to guide her to her intended destination. The music carried much further than the light, oddly enough. It was very loud.

Her eyes struggled to fight the sleep that was taking possession of them. Her gaze did not lift from the ground as she walked tiredly. Her hair, once voluminous and full, now lay flat at the crown of her head. She was still beautiful, but was worn out from the long day.

She had just reached placed her hand in her purse to reach her car keys when she stopped walking suddenly. There, his back leaning against her car and his arms crossed, was Jaden Parker. His face displayed very little emotion. It seemed that he was tired too.

They stood still for a long while without any words passing between them. Suddenly, the music changed from heavy beats to a very familiar tune. Sting sung the chorus of "Every Breath You Take," and Rei and Jaden shared a smile.


	17. Sweet Surrender

Title: Nasal Spray

Author: LoveeDucky

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: The characters in the story do not belong to me.

~ ~ ~ Chapter 17: Sweet Surrender

It was the morning after Diana's beautiful wedding. The whirlwind of a day had included a tasteful and simple wedding ceremony and a large reception party. Rei had learned a lot about true love as she watched her friend exchange marriage vows. She had observed the love between Darien and Diana. They shined of a pure love—a spirit of charity and trust—as they looked into each others eyes.

Rei had looked into the audience several times and her eyes had met with Jaden Parker's. Despite the trouble and confusion between them, her heart leaped at the sight of him. As she had glanced at Chad, the man she had pledged commitment to, her heart sank with guilt and ambivalence.

Rei had assumed that her feelings for Chad would become less complicated in time. Today, however, she realized that her feelings had always been true. She had simply second-guessed them. She didn't love Chad, and he thoroughly deserved someone who did.

She walked through the living room they both shared, glancing at a photo of the two of them. It had been taken by her grandfather three years ago. They were standing outside of a restaurant, having just celebrated Rei's birthday, and looked very happy. Their faces were pressed together and both wore silly grins on their faces.

"I don't even know if I was in love with him then," Rei reflected softy to herself.

She heard a door open from across the hallway. Chad let out a loud, sleepy yawn.

"Good morning," Chad said joyfully and lifted his arms in the air to stretch. He approached her as he did this, intending to bring her into an embrace.

Rei stepped back and held her hand out in protest.

"Chad…we need to talk."

His happy smile drooped immediately, and his eyes furrowed. No happy conversation started this way.

Rei sat him down at the dining room table and the pair talked over their relationship. Rei did her best to express her feelings without hurting Chad, but it was a near impossible task. He let out a tear or two in sadness as the reality of their situation hit him.

"I wish things were different, Rei," he spoke, his voice carrying a hint of pleading with it. "I love you so much."

Rei glanced downward at the table, unable to meet his gaze. She was frustrated that she couldn't return his devotion.

They agreed on temporary living arrangements. Chad, always the gentleman, offered to stay somewhere else until Rei could find a new place of residence. Rei was grateful for his kindness.

As she left to have lunch somewhere else, she smiled to herself. Though her stomach and heart felt as though they had fallen off a 10-foot cliff, she knew that she had finally done something right.

* * *

The evening was crisp and cool, featuring a clear dark blue sky and all its gleaming stars. Presently Rei was in a rural area, jogging alongside Mina in an almond tree grove. She and her friend had discovered this area a week prior when, tired of their indoor gyms, they ventured off into the country.

Rei didn't particularly like jogging for exercise. She much preferred swimming, as it took as much as endurance as it did physical strength to sustain good laps in a pool. On this evening, however, Rei felt powerful in her running. She noticed the rhythm of her feet on the sandy ground, and felt her leg muscles work as her legs continued quick movement.

The strength and length of their run, along with the pleasant breeze, contented Rei the same way a fierce fire did. She glanced up at the sky and caught a glimpse of a bright ball of light. The planet Mars was visible. She smiled to herself as best as she could while controlling her jogging stride.

The two women came to a point of rest in their jog, and slowed their speed.

"So- you broke it off- with Chad?" Mina said through huffs.

"Yes," Rei replied, and she paused to regulate her breathing. "It was time."

"He was nice," Mina said, glancing over at Rei as their bodies rose and fell with their jogging pace. She paused for a long moment before adding,

"I have to admit- I did like you- with Jaden."

Rei looked over at Mina for a moment and remained coy, hiding her interest in Mina's comments.

"He's with- Julia- this obnoxious- woman- and I don't- know why," Mina said.

"Oh," was all Rei retorted.

They continued their slower pace, shrouded in the darkness of the night and the almond trees. Finally, they found an open clearing half a mile away.

"Let's finish strong," Mina suggested, and the two women picked up their pace considerably, racing each other to the end of the path. Rei sprinted with all her ability. Mina, a far more accomplished runner, doubled the distance between them with the same amount of effort.

They reached the end of the trees and stopped running. They would now briskly walk the rest of the way to their cars, about another half mile. Conversation could flow better during this pace of their exercise.

"How did Jaden find Diana's wedding?" Rei asked sincerely.

"Strange and surreal, yet appropriate. He holds no bad feelings towards her anymore."

Rei looked back towards the almond trees, her ears in tune to a noise that she heard. "Good," she replied, before losing interest.

"Mina," Rei began again. Her voice caught in her throat, preventing her from continuing her question.

_How is he? _she thought to herself. Instead, she verbalized, "Never mind."

When the two friends returned to their cars, they decided to solidify their healthy activity with small smoothies. Mina suggested that Smooth Your Groove was the best place for their beverages, and they both hopped into their cars and drove the short distance to the place.

Once there, Rei began perusing the smoothie list above the register. The flavors looked very enticing: Mango Madness, Passionate Pomegranate, and even Peanut Butter Sensation sounded delicious. Mina picked her favorite, Lemon Strawberry Squeeze, and bounced into line. Rei followed suit, having settled on Outrageous Orange as her drink of choice. There were two people ahead of them in line, and the person at the register was deciding—and then changing his mind—on a flavor.

"I'd like the Raspberry Razzmatazz," he said decisively. The cashier began pushing a number. "No! Wait. The Appleberry Blast sounds really good." The cashier seemed to fake a smile, and pushed another two buttons. "Hold on a minute," he began again, tapping his chin in consideration.

Mina sighed of boredom and raised her eyebrow to Rei, who laughed in response.

"Hey Mina," a familiar voice spoke from behind the two women.

Rei froze for a moment and then turned around to see Jaden. He smiled warmly at her and waved his hand. She returned his gesture, and suddenly became aware that she was smiling big.

"Hi Jaden! We just finished a good run through the almond groves. What's up?" Mina replied to her cousin.

"A run, huh?" Jaden said amused. "Is that why you're both very sweaty?"

Rei flushed with embarrassment as she looked down at her shirt. It was heavily dotted with perspiration from her shoulders down to her chest. Mina turned her attention to the cash register and hopped in front of it, leaving Rei and Jaden in line together.

"Thanks for noticing, Jaden," Rei retorted with a small smile.

Jaden smiled at her again and moved closer to her, his arm brushing against hers. Rei felt a pleasant surge of energy rush to her heart, elevating its rhythm and her breathing. As they stood next to each other in line, Rei stared hard at the drink menu. She strained her thoughts towards the drink she had previously chosen, hoping to crowd out all thoughts of the man behind her. Within a few moments, the cashier gestured for Rei to come to the register. Rei's reverie in smoothies kept her from noticing, until Jaden placed his hand upon her shoulder.

Rei jolted at his touch, turning her attention to Jaden and his blue eyes. He looked at her, smirked, and softly said,

"You're being beckoned, milady."

Her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she returned his smile. All the while, his hand stayed on her shoulder, its natural warmth seemingly undoing the tight knots from her neck and upper back. The pair of them seemed to be unaware of the developing line of people waiting patiently for their turn to order, or Mina's amused look at them from behind her smoothie straw and cup.

By the time Rei had made her way to cash register, all thoughts of her favorite smoothie had fled her mind. She stood baffled at her poor memory, and scrambled to find a new choice. She settled upon Zesty Lemon Lime.

"Well, this has been really fun," Mina started, sipping the last remnants of her drink with a large slurp. She took in a big yawn.

"I'm so sleepy," she spoke again. "I think it's time for me to crawl into my Hello Kitty pjs and call it a night."

Rei stopped sipping her Zesty Lemon Lime and rushed over to her side. Jaden had received his order of a large cup of house blend coffee and joined them.

"You two aren't bailing out on me already? I was looking forward to your company," Jaden said, frowning.

Mina grinned and softly pushed Rei towards Jaden. The raven-haired woman looked at her friend with wide eyes, certain of what her friend was attempting to do.

"I'm sure Rei's fine. I, on the other hand, will be leaving." Mina made her way to the storefront door. She waved enthusiastically, and proceeded out the store and to her car.

"Well," Jaden began, placing his arm loosely around Rei, "would you care to take a walk with me? The night air will dry up your sweat nicely."

Rei took a moment and nodded, a little uneasy with the proposition. She recalled the image of Jaden's red-haired vixen, her words dripping with as much sexuality as her choice in daily attire. Rei also noticed how easily she and Jaden exited the store to walk on the street, as if they were gliding on thin air.

"How's Chad?" Jaden inquired suddenly. Rei felt his arm tense around her shoulder.

"I guess he's fine. I haven't talked to him in a few days," was her reply. Jaden's arm quickly relaxed.

"What- did you guys have a fight? Chad doesn't seem like the type to fight. You, on the other hand-"

"We broke up," Rei interrupted, turning her gaze to her feet.

Jaden faced her as they continued their slow pace, his eyes sparkling in the bright streetlights.

"Oh," he retorted.

They walked in silence for a minute or two, the lights growing dimmer and dimmer as they approached the quieter segment of the street.

"Rei," Jaden began, and Rei could feel his gaze concentrated on her face.

"How's Julia?" she asked quickly, escaping his next words.

"We don't really need to talk about her-"

"What do you mean by that?" Rei answered as her temper rose. She stopped walking and pushed Jaden's arm off her shoulders.

"I mean, she's more of a distraction. What started off as lunch date between colleagues became more of… a way to pass time."

Rei's brows furrowed as she listened to his explanation. In so many ways Jaden captivated her heart and her mind, but in others, he infuriated her. He spoke of Julia as if she were a semi-decent restaurant- occasionally appetizing, but more of a habit than a pleasure. She didn't believe his attention to Julia could be that frivolous.

"Do you love her, Jaden?" she asked, the fury behind her voice. "Because if you do, any and all of this—between us—is useless."

His eyes met hers, and he shook his head. Rei wondered about her vision at Diana's bachelorette party. It must have been more of a nightmare than a foreshadowing of events and feelings. But she remembered her anger, her confusion, and her heartbreak, and the flames that had engulfed all of them .

Jaden reached towards Rei's face to touch her cheek. She allowed him the touch, closing her eyes as his fingers tenderly swept her skin.

"Can we start over?" he suggested. "I'd like to forget all the mishaps we've had, and start from the beginning."

Rei stepped backwards, her actions forcing Jaden's hand to awkwardly pull backwards before finally falling back to his side. She shook her head furiously.

"No, Jaden. We can't," she stated strongly. "All those 'mishaps'- the stupid nasal spray incident, the elevator, the beach…all of it is what brought us together in the first place."

The mad expression on her face quickly faded into sadness as she recalled more upsetting memories. A small tear fell from her eye.

"I can't forget that you humiliated me in front of all our colleagues and some of my friends, too," Rei added.

Jaden looked to the ground, his face shrouded by night's darkness.

"I never apologized for that, did I?" His voice and face conveyed repentance. "You deserve one."

"That would be nice, but that still wouldn't settle all the differences between us," Rei said.

Her former boss shook his blond head in frustration and gulped down some coffee from his cup.

"What other differences do we have, Rei? If you forgive me, and I ditch Julia—what more would come between us?"

The raven-haired beauty pulled a small picture from one of the pockets in her purse. She glanced at it, breathing in a sigh of hesitance. She was unsure if showing him the picture would be helpful or a hindrance to her cause. She grabbed one of his hands, opened it to reveal his palm, and gently placed the picture into it. It faced him so that he could see the subjects clearly.

"I know why I care for you so much, Jaden," she began in a near-whisper. He took a step closer to her, gazing between her face and the picture.

She continued her explanation, "I love arguing with you. I love how much you love your cousin Mina, and look after her like a brother. I love the way that you look at me, with all that mischief in your eyes and I love your smirk. I loved you even before Diana mentioned 'fate' and 'destiny.' The question is…do you know why you care for me?"

She watched him carefully, and her heart pounded fervently when he took another step in her direction. Picture still in hand, Jaden held her arm with his free hand, his eyes piercing into hers. The silence between them seemed to thicken into a fog, or at least, it began to permeate Rei's conscious mind. The distance between their lips decreased as Jaden moved in closer. Rei's eyes fluttered, as she subconsciously bounced between surrendering into a kiss and regaining her will to act.

Just before his lips touched hers, Jaden found another barrier between them- this time, in the form of Rei's slender forefinger.

"I need something so much more than just fate," she whispered. "I'll wait for your answer."

With those words spoken, Rei stepped backwards, her eyes still locked onto Jaden's. He noticed that they were glossy with budding tears. She pivoted in the other direction and ran off into the thick of the night.

~Author's Note~

Thank you to all the faithful readers whose enthusiasm has motivated me to complete this story. I have finished the final chapters at this time (there's only one more), and that chapter will be released by this time (or Saturday) of next week.

I started this story when I was 16 years old (can you tell with the silliness in the beginning?), and the characters have really grown up with me since then. I consider it a great accomplishment to finish.

Because this story has taken several years to complete, with quite a number of flaws in story and character (at least to me- I think I can do better for you), I may or may not "reboot" the story. If I do, I will finish **all** chapters before I begin posting. Also, it will come after Triangle: A Love Triangle, my other Rei/Jadeite story that has been long neglected. We'll see.

SnowCharms- Serenity/Serena is Diana in this story in large part through the influence of a reader. I intended her to be a non-Sailor Moon character, like Julia. However, a reader asked me if Diana was Serena, and the thought stuck with me. I like the friendship between Serena and Rei- I wish I had developed it more.

Happy Reading!


	18. I'm With You

Title: Nasal Spray

Author: LoveeDucky

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: The characters in the story do not belong to me.

~ ~ ~ Chapter 18: I'm With You

One week had passed since Rei had told him to find his answer—why he was driven towards Rei Hino—and Jaden wasn't quite sure why it was taking him so long to figure it out.

Jaden paced around his living room floor, stopping every so often to look at the large clock about his fireplace mantle. The minutes ticked by slowly and audibly, interrupting his thoughts.

"What does she mean by 'more than fate?' If I choose her, how would I be giving her more? Especially since I know now, why she has always been so familiar to me…"

He picked up the old photograph on the coffee table, smiling as he looked at the two girls in the picture. He saw the cute little dark-haired girl, with the few small freckles dotted around her nose and the one missing bottom tooth in her toothy grin. He used to look at this picture so often while in Diana's home. When he did, he felt as though fragmented memories crept into his mind.

One time as he gazed into the picture, he felt as if he were transported to another time period. He was in a massive ballroom well lit by fine crystal chandeliers. Ladies dressed in fancy rounded gowns waltzed with what appeared to be gentlemen royalty. Everyone had bright smiles on their faces, enchanted by the dancing and the beautifully orchestrated music. For a moment he had thought he recognized Mina in the background, sipping drinks with a blue-haired girl. Despite all the cheer in the room, he had felt restless. He solved this by walking towards a nearby balcony.

As the cool breeze blew into his face, he leaned his chest over the balcony rail. That's when he had saw her- the faint outline of a woman sitting on a rock near a patch of flowers. Her hair was long and dark, and she seemed totally unaware of his presence. That was, until he attempted to lean over more to get a better look at her.

The woman turned around, her face bathed in strong starlight. Her eyes were a rich violet color, an uncanny color for any human to possess, and her gaze seemed to penetrate deep into his soul.

Then, he had stirred from his vision as Diana had called his consciousness back to their present-day. He had other visions occur to him when he looked at the picture, but none so vivid or real as that particular one.

After hearing what Rei had said about destiny and fate, he was convinced that his vision was directing him to her. That same thought bothered him as he remembered that Rei had asked for _more _than fate.

The thought occurred to him that he might be overanalyzing her words. With the picture in his hands, he stepped out his front door to go for a walk.

* * *

Feet pounded the pavement of a deserted street, and Rei was quickly rounding a corner when it hit her.

A light drop of rainfall had fallen onto her face. She had overlooked the gray overcast sky when she took off for her run, distracted by her thoughts. She didn't even have a light jacket to protect her from the eminent downpour.

Not bothered by the rain, even as the tiniest rain drops turned into pea sized dew, she continued to run. She had not gone more than ten feet before something else, something quite intangible, hit her. It seemed like a memory, but it felt much stronger to her.

She was running in the dark, the rain pouring down, but she was dressed in a brilliant red dress. Her hair flowed loosely behind her. Her feet were barefoot and felt the soft and cool blades of grass underneath them. Finally, she was not running a recreational 5 or 10K pace- she was running towards something unseen.

She passed around the white lily and red rose bed, and she recognized the flowers to be the ones she herself had planted. Her gaze was focused on the path in front of her, her eyes taking in as much light as possible from the dark night.

Suddenly, she lost her senses as her body collided with something hard. That object seemed to flow with her moving body, and she felt two strong hands grip her arms. Her gaze locked on the solid mass in front of her, she began to recognize that it was a someone, and not a something, that held her in place. Her eyes moved upwards until they caught the gleam of another pair of eyes. Even without the sunlight she could see the small specks of blue. She smiled with content.

* * *

"Rei?" she heard him speak.

She continued smiling, completely unaware of the dopey face she was displaying. She felt so suave in her vision.

"Rei- are you ok? You seem very…out there."

The dark-haired girl blinked a few times, regaining her focus. She took in the sight of the blonde wavy hair, the square jaw layered with beard stubble, and those piercing, familiar blue eyes.

Her vision had ended. She was back on the deserted road, clothed in the sweat-wicking shirt and pants that kept her so dry during her runs. And, she had managed to collide into Jaden Parker- again.

"Oh. Just enjoying a run," she said as she pulled herself backward and out of Jaden's grasp. He raised an eyebrow at her and smirked.

Rei shook her head, trying to rid herself of what she thought was an odd hallucination. She walked passed Jaden, her heart pounding in her chest with nervousness as her mind replayed the request she made of him. Glancing behind her, she realized that he also stayed on his path, not deviated by her bumping into him. They both remained silent as they walked.

~ ~ ~ Hours Later

Tap, tap, tap.

A heavy metal door shook with the large knuckles hitting it.

Tap, tap, tap.

Two bare feet stepped silently along a solid wooden floor.

Tap, tap, tap.

The door slid ajar from its frame, revealing the small face behind it. The eyes on the face struggled to adjust to the starlit sky outside, and focused on the sight in front of them. The lips on the face tugged into a loose smile.

"You couldn't have picked a more reasonable hour to come knocking on my door?" the small face from behind the door spoke with a screech, indicating that vocal chords had been cold for a while.

"Do I look like a reasonable guy to you?" came the reply.

The door opened wider now, and the visitor saw Rei Hino's sleepy form in front of him. Her hair was disheveled and featured a small knot of hair sticking up from the crown of her head. She wore maroon silk pajamas, slightly wrinkled at the ankles. And her eyes, puffy from lack of sleep, still combated fatigue as she stood there. Though her visitor had spoken with humor, the joke was lost on her.

"I can see that you haven't fully awakened yet," he began. "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

"Jaden Parker," the woman began to say, "it's 1 o'clock in the morning. I'm tired. It's freezing. And you want me to take a walk with you?"

Jaden reached out his hand to hold hers, and touched her fingers lightly to his lips. Though she still fought sleep, she could easily recognize the mischievous smirk he wore so well emerge from beneath her fingers.

"I can wait," he said, grasping her hand tighter.

She waited for him to relinquish his grip, expecting his statement to be true. When he didn't let her go, she sighed, appeasing his strong will.

"Alright," she spoke softly. "Just let me get my jacket."

Within moments, Rei was bundled up in her winter jacket and locking her front door from the outside. She was wide awake now, the cold breeze biting at her ears and her naked hands. As Jaden began to walk down the garden path to the sidewalk, she followed alongside him. He turned his head to her and once again took her hand in his.

The pair made their way along the street, and Jaden began whistling a tune. It was to the tune of what seemed to be their theme song, "Every Breath You Take," by The Police. She laughed as she realized he whistled it in synchronization with their walking pace. Though they walked without conversation like this for several minutes, they both felt a comforting peace.

Rei noticed as she passed several houses, adorned with beautiful floral gardens, zany mailboxes, and even a few garden gnomes. All of these houses were homes to the people within them- safe havens where the people lived and dreamt. She smiled as she envisioned a home that she would have someday that she would share with someone she loved.

Jaden ceased his whistling and looked over at Rei. She turned her head to him, and their eyes locked in a shared glance.

"Are you going to tell me why we're walking around this early in the morning?" she asked him.

"Certainly," he replied as he stopped walking. Rei abruptly stopped her pace too, and turned towards him. They stood on the sidewalk, bathed in light by a street lamp above them.

Suddenly, she felt a hard wind rush past her. She closed her eyes to protect them from the wind. As she opened them, she noticed that Jaden wasn't dressed in the casual clothes she had seen him in just seconds before. Instead, he had on a military-type uniform with emblems and insignia that she didn't fully recognize. The light source above them was no longer a street lamp, but a flaming torch.

She glanced down at her body, and recognized the red dress she thought she had worn yesterday evening. The hand Jaden held had a ruby ring banded in gold on her ring finger. What was happening?

"You, no doubt, have been seeing strange things?" Jaden inquired. At that moment, Rei realized they were once again in casual clothing on a neighborhood street.

"How did you know?"

"I could tell by the puzzled look you had on your face just now. And, because I've had my share of visions too."

"Visions?" Rei stammered, attempting to make sense everything. "That _is _what they are, isn't it?"

Jaden nodded in agreement. He took her other hand, and turned towards the large sphere of the moon in the sky.

"I don't know what it all means," he began, "but I do know that they are related to something that you told me about a couple days ago. Destiny."

"I didn't even _think_ of destiny until I met Diana, and she showed me that picture," Rei replied.

She noticed Jaden pulling something out of his back pocket. He placed it in her hand, and she brought it up to her face to see it better. It was the picture of her and Diana as children- the picture Diana said had captured Jaden, and the one Rei had given to him.

"I've been racking my brain, trying to solve that riddle that you gave to me when you said you wanted more than destiny. I didn't know, and still don't know what to give you, because of those visions. I know that we knew each other in past lives. How could we deny that we had a destiny together in this one?

"But then I realized something I think that existed in our past 'destiny.' We made some choices—placed some obstacles between us—that prevented us from being happy with each other."

Rei raised her eyebrow at that statement. Though these visions had just started occurring to her, she could not see what would bring Jaden to this deduction. He released his grip on her hand- now no longer adorned with a beautiful ruby ring- and turned away from her.

"I can't tell you how I know that. I just _know._ Every time that I looked at that picture and dreamt what I did, I always felt a mixture of happiness and sadness. Don't you feel that way too?"

The young woman nodded, glancing down at the ground. Was this going to be her answer?

"Even now, as we've had these tumultuous past weeks, we've placed obstacles between us. I wanted you, but couldn't let go of my heartbreak with Diana. So I punished you for it. Then, when faced with losing your company in the office, I started a lousy, selfish relationship with Julia."

"And I never let Chad go," Rei added softly. Jaden nodded in acknowledgement.

"That can all change now," he spoke enthusiastically. He took out a pocket knife from his other back pocket, kneeled down to a nearby flower garden, and plucked a yellow daisy from its stem. As he gave it to Rei, she laughed in amusement.

"You did not just cut a flower from someone else's garden," she said between giggles. "That's so wrong."

Jaden shrugged his shoulders in response. "It's for a good purpose. Why not?"

She placed the daisy to her nose and slowly took in its smell. She enjoyed its fragrance.

"I like lilies better, though," she stated.

"I know," Jaden replied.

When she had finished smelling the daisy, he took it from her and tucked it in above her ear. She smiled brightly at the gesture.

"I broke up with Julia yesterday. Right before you bumped into me. Is it wrong if I didn't feel bad about it?" Rei shook her head at Jaden's question.

"So…now, we stop subconsciously running from each other?" she asked, taking a step towards her male companion.

"I'd like to. Because, you're a hard woman not to love, Rei," Jaden said quickly.

"You'd better keep saying that years from now when we know each other better and-"

Rei was abruptly interrupted by the clashing of Jaden's lips onto hers. The thoughts in her mind fled from her, and she found herself enveloped by a warm embrace. She wrapped her arms around Jaden's shoulders and melted into their kiss. The picture she had held in her hand sashayed down to the ground.

Tap, tap, tap.

A tiny buzzing sound entered their ears, but their minds could not break from the kiss.

Tap, tap, tap. Whizz.

A moment later they stood apart, drenched from head to toe by the active sprinkler system from the lawn beside them. They returned to their embrace, laughing hysterically.

"Welcome to my world," Rei said to Jaden. Their eyes sparkled in the light of the street lamp and the full moon. She pushed his head down to hers and brought him back into her kiss.

**Fin**

Author's Note:

A big thank you to the readers and fans on FanFiction. Your encouragement keeps writers like me going. I hope this ending satisfies you.

Btw, Cassie M.- Go for your "epic idea." Write a story! I'd love to read it.

Happy reading!

LoveeDucky


	19. Epilogue: Year of Dreams

Title: Nasal Spray

Author: LoveeDucky

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: The characters in the story do not belong to me.

**Author's Note:**

SnowCharms: You know, your assessment about the name changes in this story is fair. I can see where it would be confusing. Maybe I should have included a reminder for readers on who is who?

To Nykia, who suggested that I do an epilogue for Nasal Spray. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind before, but I thought it would be fun and appropriate. So, here it is:

**Epilogue: A Year of Dreams**

A gust of wind blew in from the south, rustling the clothes of several guests waiting to be seated. It also managed to overturn several white flower petals from their spots on the green lawn. Before it began to wreck havoc, the strong breeze calmed down into a light kiss of wind. Some of the waiting visitors were relieved.

The guests were early arrivals for a wedding. They were dressed in elegant clothing appropriate for the occasion and for the beautifully decorated venue. One guest, while waiting for an usher to guide her to her seat, looked at the scene with wide eyes. Bright orange bows hugged the backs of simple white chairs. These chairs were arranged in several rows, divided into two sections by a large aisle runner made entirely of white flower petals. Flanking the aisle runner were two wide strips of orange flower blossoms.

One pair of violet eyes surveyed the area, checking the amount of seats, the aisle runner, and the beautifully green, white, yellow, and orange archway at the head of the aisle. With a smile, the surveyor nodded her head in satisfaction. Everything was absolutely perfect.

"Rei!" called a voice from behind the surveyor. "You've really outdone yourself this time!"

Rei Hino nodded modestly, a blush appearing in her cheeks. It had been a year since she and Jaden Parker had decided to eliminate all the obstacles and other junk that prevented them from being together. In short, they were officially dating. Today was their first year anniversary.

After Diana's wedding had gone off without a hitch, Rei had decided to try her hand at wedding planning. Shortly after she started dating Jaden, she snagged a job as an assistant wedding planner. The details were fun for her to envision and plan out, and she had a way of being blunt yet polite with the brides (terrors) who enlisted her help.

Now here she stood, gazing at the first wedding she had designed entirely on her own. She was immensely satisfied. She silently assured herself that everything would go according to plan.

"Rei! You look stunning!" Diana cried out. "But, don't you need to be lining up too?"

With a sigh of content, Rei took her place in the bridal procession line. Her emotions swam furiously within her, threatening to expose her excitement. It was an understatement to say that she had anticipated this day for quite some time.

She felt a strong arm grip her around her waist and pull her into a hard body. Her eyes met with Jaden's cobalt pupils. He wore a big mischievous smirk on his face, and she had to muster all her willpower to keep from kissing him.

"What are you doing here? You need to be in your proper place," she scolded him.

Jaden lightly kissed her nose and then pulled her into a tighter embrace. His lips were nestled against her right ear, and he softly said,

"I'm right where I need to be."

A bright smile emerged on Rei's face at his words. He had a bigger romantic side than she had. She mentally gave thanks in her mind for this quality in him.

"Very nice, Jaden," she said as she placed her hands against his shoulders and pushed. "But, it will drive me crazy if you are not in your correct spot within 10 seconds."

"You're not giving me a whole lot of time to walk from here to the altar," he whined, his lips forming a pout. He had a way of bending her stubborn will with his pout. Rei focused her gaze upon his shoulders and tried with all her might to pry him away from her.

"10," she began.

"But-"

"9."

"You are so anal retentive."

"7 ½."

"Why did you skip half a second? Is it because my sentence-"

"5 ½."

"Ha, ha. Very funny. All I want to do is stand here by you, my sweet love," Jaden whispered in her ear.

"You'll lose all nighttime recreational privileges if you don't leave now. 2 ½."

"Ok, ok. I'm going. Excuse me, Your Highness."

The young man reluctantly drew his arms back to the sides of his body and proceeded towards the front of the aisle. Rei smiled at his defeat. She had drawn out a horrible piece of arsenal in their play fight, but she had to admit—it worked every time.

Within a few minutes of Rei's last minute instructions, the musical quintet began their version of the bridal processional music. The flower girls wandered down the aisle, tossing more brightly colored petals to join the floral aisle runner. Rei grinned to herself, satisfied that the chosen flower girls did not need extensive instruction on walking down an aisle. As the bridesmaids (and the Matron of Honor, Diana) made their way down to stand beside the altar, a solo ukulele player strummed his take on the Bridal March. Every seated guest, as well as the groom, groomsmen, and bridal party turned their focus to the beginning of the floral aisle.

The beautiful bride appeared from behind a large section of trees. She was dressed in a lovely white chiffon empire-waist gown, the middle section lovely decorated with a series of cream-colored satin ribbons the wrapped around and tied in the back. Thin spaghetti straps held up the dress and the bottom flowed down into a long train. The most beautiful accent for the bride was her lovely smile, as cherry red lips framed her sparkly white teeth. She was absolutely happy.

When she finally took her place beside her groom, the man whose wide smile rivaled his blushing bride's, the audience cooed with joy. Many of the guests battled tears as they heard the words of the officiator and the vows made by the couple. Finally, it came time for the moment of the ceremony: the bride and groom's first kiss as husband and wife. The couple brought their lips together to the sound of the audience's thunderous applause and cheers. Both the bride and groom smiled as they kissed, their cheeks rosy with happiness.

The officiator raised his voice to carry over the noisy audience.

"It is my pleasure to present to you, for the first time, Kunzite and Mina Kensington!"

Rei clapped her hands around her bouquet of flowers, beaming with happiness. One of her best friends had just united in marriage with a wonderful man. At the thought of wonderful men, Rei took a peak at her own boyfriend. Jaden was also clapping in support of his bubbly cousin and his good friend, and caught Rei's gaze. He winked to her, and she stuck the tip of her tongue out at him playfully.

The bride and groom descended the floral aisle, followed by the groomsmen and bridal party. The ceremony was officially over, and the reception party was about to begin.

* * *

**At the Reception**

Mina and Kunzite's reception was another creation of Rei's, with input from the blonde bride. It was held under a white canopy lit with twinkle lights and elegant old-time lanterns, and all the guests had enjoyed a fabulous buffet dinner.

The cake-cutting ceremony had resulted in Mina dodging a slice of chocolate cake from being smashed in her face (but Kunzite had lost his balance and hit himself with the slice as he face-planted into the ground), and the bouquet and garter toss had finished with laughter from everyone. Rei had been one of the single ladies hoping for the bouquet. Once Mina had tossed the flowers behind her, three girls in front of Rei scrambled to get the coveted nosegay. They had smacked into each other and the flowers had plopped upwards and right into Rei's hands. Jaden had won the garter toss, of course, and the lovely couple had taken the customary garter toss bouquet picture.

Presently, Mina and Kunzite were sharing their first dance as a married couple to the tune of Edwin McCain's "I'll Be," as played by the string quartet. Rei all but ignored the beautiful sounds as she scanned the room from her seat, making sure that everyone she hired was on task.

"Mina and Kunzite would like to invite all couples in love to share the dance floor," someone announced from a microphone.

Jaden's blue eyes looked eagerly at his girlfriend. He smirked when he noticed her in her "work mode" and waved his hand in front of her face. She flinched and turned her gaze towards him.

"What?" she asked sharply.

With a smile, Jaden stood up from his seat and held his open hand out to her. "Would you, Rei Hino, like to dance?"

She returned his smile and slipped her hand into his, allowing him to guide her from her seat to the dance floor. He placed his other arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. As they swayed back and forth, Rei rested her head gently against his chest. She slowly breathed in his cologne. 'Blue Seduction,' she thought to herself. 'How appropriate with those seductive blue eyes of his.'

Their year together had been the best year of Rei's entire life. They had so many things in common: jogging, traveling, they both preferred being homebodies, and other things. They even both had a healthy sense of spirituality. Best of all, Rei could be herself around Jaden and he seemed to love her all the more for it.

Jaden tugged their clasped hands higher up to look at them. He observed Rei's slender fingers, her perfectly manicured nails, and smiled when he saw her bare ring finger. He hoped that wouldn't be the case for long. The song they danced to changed into Dave Matthews Band "Crash Into Me."

"Didn't you really crash into me sometime ago?" he mused. Rei lifted her face to meet his gaze.

"Hmm?" she muttered dreamily.

"I asked if you had literally crashed into me before. It seems vaguely familiar."

Rei shook her head furiously, clutching his shoulder tight with her hand. "Nope, nope. It was _you_ who crashed into _me_. You knocked me down."

Jaden turned his stare upwards in effort to better remember the situation. He burst out into laughter as he recalled Rei flat on the floor with her skirts over her head. She raised an eyebrow at his outburst, somewhat not amused that he would find the accident so funny. As the song ended softly, Jaden winked at the violin player in the quartet. As if on cue, a recording of "When a Man Loves a Woman" blasted through the stereos.

"Rei," he began to say, softening his gaze at the beautiful young woman in front of him.

"Yeah?" she replied. Jaden kissed her squarely on the mouth before stating,

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Rei smiled at his comment, unaware of the full magnitude of his words. She was thoroughly enjoying the song, the dancing, and staring at her boyfriend's piercing blue eyes. Jaden, on the other hand, felt a jolt in his heart. She wasn't quite responding the way he imagined she would. He dropped her hand to his shoulder and reached into his coat pocket to find the ring box he had stowed there.

"You're the most beautiful, spunky, magnificent woman I've ever met," he continued. "You're my heart. My soul. And, I want us to be together forever."

Rei wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a dancing embrace.

"You're such a romantic," she said, and she continued dancing.

Jaden felt a small bead of sweat form above his eyebrow. Here was the moment where she could accept his proposal or deny him. He fought to keep his composure and flipped the ring box open. He settled it right by her face, attempting to catch her attention.

"Oh, that's beautiful!" she exclaimed, her violet eyes locked onto the sparkling ruby and diamond ring. "Is that for me?"

"Yes!" Jaden said, pulling the ring out of its black velvet casing. He held it between his thumb and two forefingers, and poised to place it on her left ring finger. "May I?" he gently asked.

"Certainly!" came her reply, and she smiled at the sight before her eyes. She admired it for a few more moments, and then rested her head upon his chest again. "Thank you for the lovely ring."

"So, you will?" Jaden asked eagerly, wanting to clarify the moment's meaning.

"Will what?" she replied with a dreamy sigh.

Jaden stopped moving his feet in shock. Rei hadn't understood what he was trying to say. He took a step backwards, forcing her to look at him.

"I know I didn't explicitly ask you, but I thought the meaning was obvious," he said.

She shook her head slightly in confusion. Why did he seem flustered all of the sudden?

"Ask me what?" she asked, feeling a little stupid. Apparently, he was asking her a question that she didn't understand.

Jaden stepped close to her again, pulled her into his arms, and whispered softly in her ear, "Will you marry me?"

As Rei finally comprehended what Jaden was asking, her eyes started forming tears. Just as she opened her mouth to answer him, a pair of arms locked around her torso. The brunette turned her head sharply to see the assailant, startled for the second time within the past 15 seconds.

"Oh my gosh! I'm going to have a new cousin!" Mina shrieked with excitement, bouncing her body (and by default, bouncing Rei's as well) with happy hops.

Kunzite appeared behind Jaden and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kunzite gave his friend a stiff but joyful smile, wordlessly welcoming him to the world of wedded bliss. Jaden shook his head in response to the groom's gesture, his nervousness overtaking him again.

"Well, she hasn't answered me yet. Does she want to marry me?"

Rei saw the struggle that Jaden was holding back in his blue eyes—did he really think she would refuse him? She threw Mina's arms off her waist and took a few steps towards him. Grabbing his hand, and offered him a bright smile.

"Of course I will marry you. I'd have to be crazy not to. It's fate, remember?" she said with a wink.

Mina and Kunzite returned to each other's arms to finish their dance, and Mina kept focusing her gaze on her beaming cousin and Rei. Mina could not have been happier. She had married her handsome best friend in a beautiful, dream-like ceremony, and now her other two favorite people in the world were engaged.

Her mouth popped open with an "oh!" as she realized she had almost forgotten something she had planned. She looked at the string quartet and waved her finger in their direction. The band leader nodded his head, conversed with the quartet for a moment, and began playing a few notes on his violin.

Rei threw her head back in laughter as she recognized the chords and the first verse of the song.

"Why does _this_ song have to be our song?" she asked Jaden, laughing. "And why does _Mina_ know about this song?"

Overhearing her name, Mina blew a kiss at the brunette young woman in jest. Rei smiled.

"You know it's impossible to keep things from Mina, and maybe it's our song because you always had some stalker qualities to you," Jaden replied.

Rei hit his arm playfully and looked into his mischievous eyes.

"Well, my antics obviously worked. Now you'll be stuck with me for eternity."

She stuck her tongue out at him, and the two continued dancing. The soft melody of _Every Breath You Take_ played in the background, welcoming them to a new stage in their lives. They were happy, and would be for an eternity.


End file.
